Ya sashla S Uma
by Roxie Heart
Summary: Akuroku/AU Roxas is a college student with a noisy neighbor. What happens after a few confrontations? Roxas' POV
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

He was an ass. You know what I mean? He was the kind of person that no matter how hard you tried to ignore him, he just kept coming up to you, trying to catch your attention with the stupidest pick up lines. The worst part?

He was my next door neighbor.

I lived alone in my one bedroom apartment, room 308, on the third floor of the building, and of all the rooms he could have in that building, he had to be in the one next door. Of all 375 rooms, he _had_ to be in room 310.

My previous neighbors, a set of twins by the names of Kairi and Namine Hikari, had decided after six months that this neighborhood was too noisy for their liking. There were lots of gang-related shootings down the street, and, sadly, this building had recently become known for drug busts and prostitution. _**Just fabulous.**_ And so, much to my dismay, they left. A week later, _**he**_ moved in.

His name was Axel Kasaiko. And he liked parties—_**all the time**_ His hair was an unearthly shade of red, and it looked like he had never brushed it a day in his life. Not to mention his eyes were kind of…creepy, if you will. They were insanely cat-like, and it was kind of eerie to come up the hallway to find those lime green eyes staring at you before he gave you a satanic grin and expelled a bark-like laugh. He usually wore blacks or dark grays, clunky military-like boots, and was so thin that, even though I hated the guy, I couldn't help but worry about him.

Whoa, rewind and freeze—I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Roxas, Roxas Akari. I'm turning 21 in December 18th, and I like living alone, thank you very much. I'm training to be an Elementary school teacher, much to the disbelief of many of my friends. Of course, with a neighbor like Axel, it's really difficult to get anything done.

Anyway, Axel also had a room mate—some guy named Demyx Mizu. Unlike Axel, I got along with Demyx fairly well. He was a music major, but hadn't done much with it. Instead of following his dream in a pursuit of music, he was a local bartender. Over all, he was fun. He had a blond mullet, which I repeatedly told him was out of style, and really nice blue eyes. He always said mine were prettier, but I beg to differ.

It was really weird to me on how two people—one who I despised and the other I relatively liked—could possibly be best friends and roomies. Well, I guess not everyone has the same opinion.

Anyway, after the third week of these two living next door, I had gotten rather sick of the pounding music and screaming next door. I was running low on sleep, I had a major assessment I needed to study for, and I had my next class at six in the morning. Is it safe to say I wasn't a happy camper? After listening, and praying, for about an hour, I slammed my pen down on the table, standing so quickly I nearly knocked the small table over. "That's _**it**_!" I shouted, my voice cracking in frustration. I stopped out into the hallway, where a few other tenants were standing around and complaining, and kicked at door 310. A few of the other hallway loiterers stared at me until I snapped at them. I kicked the door again, hard enough to make the noise echo through out the hall. After a few moments, some guy I didn't recognize opened the door.

He couldn't have been much taller then me—an inch or two at most—with violet peppered tresses spilling over his right eye, which I can assume was a dark purple, like his left. He stared at me for a moment, oblivious to the pounding music behind him. "What?" he muttered after a moment, totally uninterested.

Shaking my head furiously, I growled. "Look, I don't know who the hell you are," I hissed, "But I want to speak to either Axel or Demyx, right here, right now, you understand?" He stared at me emotionlessly for a few more moments before ducking back into the room, yelling for Demyx. I stood there impatiently, tapping my foot as I waited.

After a few minutes, Demyx came stumbling into the hall, clicking the door shut as he leaned against it to face me. He was smiling his usual intoxicated grin—though I think he was really drunk this time. "Hey ya, Roxas. What's up?"

I scowled momentarily. "Look, Demyx, I like you, but I've had enough." At his quizzical look, I sighed, rubbing at my temples. "Okay, there _**are**_ kids in this building and people who have _**jobs**_ and _**school**_. We _**need**_ sleep. Are you following me?" He nodded vaguely. "Okay. You need to shut this party down. No more parties, unless on the weekends, okay? Otherwise, I _will_ call the police on you guys. Understood?"

When I mentioned the cops, Demyx's dilated azure eyes widened, and he grabbed me roughly by the shoulders. "No-no-no-no-no! You can't call the cops on us, okay?! You can't-can't-can't! We'll get into so much, _**mucho**_ trouble! Don't call the cops! I'll stop it, I promise!"

Needless to say, I was a bit freaked out by the fact that Demyx had started shaking me in his urgency of telling me I couldn't call the cops. "Okay-okay-okay! Demyx! If you shut this party down, I won't call the police. Calm down." He stopped shaking me, and I gently removed his hands from my shoulders. "Just get this party out of here, and you're in the clear. Do you understand?" It took him a moment to process what I said, but he nodded none-the-less. "Good. Take care of it." He nodded again and went inside again. I stood outside for a few minutes, and sure enough, the music stopped, and a large number of people, including the guy who had answered the door, piled out of the apartment. It kind of reminded me of a clown car—how could there be so many people in one tiny space? Many of the tenants, me included, heaved a sigh of relief. Once the crowd dispersed, Demyx clamored out of the room, grinning stupidly, as though looking for approval. "Good job Demyx. I won't call the cops." He clapped before waving and retreating back into the room and slamming the door shut. Shaking my head, I returned to my room, like many of the others. Sitting at the coffee table, where my work was spread upon, I glanced at the clock: 11:45 PM. I held my head in my hands. This was going to be one long night of studying.

**XxXxXxXxX**

_BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!_

"Ugh, shut up!" There are certain sounds in this world that I despise even more than Axel Kasaiko. Such as my alarm clock at five in the morning. And I'm going to give you some insight as to why I still use a traditional buzzing alarm clock verses a CD player alarm clock—Axel broke it. But that's what happens when he bursts into your apartment, drunk off his ass, and grabs everything in sight. Eventually, something _**will**_get broken.

_BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!_

"God dammed, I hear you, shut up." I slammed my hand angrily on the snooze button. I hadn't gotten to bed until three in the morning. I was almost tempted to not go to class at all. _**Almost**_being the key word. I sat up, still groggy, but knowing if I didn't get up soon, I'd hear that dreaded _BZZZT_ again. Damn, damn it to hell. I stretched, sighing with satisfaction when I felt my back pop. Hesitantly, I threw back the covers and touched my bare feet to the cold hardwood floor. I hissed as I stood up, fumbling in the dark on my over-sized checkered pajama pants. I rubbed at my straw-colored tresses, yawning as I stumbled into the living room, clicking on the nearest lamp, cursing loudly at the mini ray of faux-sunshine. It burned my eyes this early in the morning. Mumbling every foul word I could think of, I tottered into the kitchen, longing for the coffee that hadn't been made yet. That's the wonderful thing about Starbucks—you don't have to make it. And while I usually would stop by Starbucks on the way to class, I felt it was too early in the morning to hassle with traffic. Not to mention I didn't have any money; I had spent the rest of my paycheck on this months rent. But that's one reason why I kept a coffee maker—just for moments like this. Scooping the coffee grinds into the filter numbly, I cherished the smell, and it woke me up a little bit. And for that I was glad. So, while my morning nectar brewed, I decided to shower. Strolling to the bathroom, now more awake than I was a few minutes ago, I started to hum a song I'd heard last time I was at Starbucks—"Angel of Mine", or something like that. I turned on the faucet with a grunt before slipping my pants off. I scowled at my reflection in the mirror. Not only was I thin and pale, but my hair looked like I had just shagged the living hell out of someone. That was one quality I wished my hair didn't possess—it was what my cousin called "after-sex hair". It didn't matter what I did to it, my hair would never cooperate, and looked like I just screwed with some body around the corner. Needless to say…it was kind of irritating.

I sighed, turning from my reflection and stepping into the shower, hissing slightly as the hot water stabbed at my skin, roses springing to the surface as the drops pelted my back. Slowly, as my body became accustomed to the temperature, I ran the water over my head, running my hands over my hair. After a good ten to fifteen minutes of scrubbing and rinsing, I shut off the water, and climbed out of the tub, wrapping a fluffy white towel around my waist. I padded across the hall to my room, clicking on the light long enough to grab my clothes out of my dresser—a pair of blue jeans, and a gray long-sleeved shirt. Oh, and that infamous question of boxer or briefs? Screw them both—they're constricting. Having retrieved my clothes, I walked back to the bathroom, dropping the towel and using it to wipe the fog off the mirror. I slid my pants up my legs and over my ass, zipping them carefully—they hung low on my hips, making me smile slightly. Who said I couldn't try to be a little seductive? I then slid my shirt over my head, the fabric sticking to my still-wet back. I wrapped the towel around my neck, watching my hair—which was actually lying flat for a change—drip. Sighing, I returned to the kitchen, where the coffee pot greeted me with the scent of its wonderful nectar. I smiled, pouring me a cup and sipping at it was I went to gather my school work for class. As I placed each of the items in my messenger bag—like most of my belongings, this was checkered in black and white--I scanned through the papers' contents, reviewing hurriedly.

As I returned the final notebook to its place, I glanced at the clock. I yelped, nearly spilling my coffee: 5:45AM. I had fifteen minutes until class! I slammed my coffee down on the table and ran to the bathroom, rubbing my hair with the towel as I ran. I threw the towel on the floor and brushed hurriedly through my flaxen tresses, flipping them to the right. I stared in the mirror, checking that each strand was in place, before running back into the living room. I threw on my jacket—black, with a white stripe down the sleeves and sides, white trim on the hood and sleeves, and the design from my favorite band on the back of a distorted upside-down heart—followed by my messenger bag. I stumbled hurriedly to the entrance, sliding my black and white sneakers over my currently bare feet; I'd regret that later. I then threw the door open and flew down the hallway, dodging Old Man Dithers as he made his daily attempt to retrieve the newspaper—which he failed every time because of his bad back. I would, again, regret this as well. I darted down the stairs, leaping over cats and shooting passed other adults on their way to work. I even made the attempt to slide down the banister like they do in the movies. After much jumping and running, I ran out of the building just in time to catch the bus.

The driver looked at me and smiled. "You're running a bit late, aren't you Roxas?" Panting, I merely nodded, paying my fare and collapsing in the nearest empty seat. The bus ride was pretty uneventful, unless you want to count the number of hobos on one side of the street—to the left, 20, to the right, 30—until I arrived on campus with five minutes to get to class—and of course, I ran as fast I could, jumping over fellow students in the process, until I slammed headlong into the class door, falling flat on my face in the middle of the room just as the bell rang. My teacher stared at me a moment before smiling. "You made it Roxas. Now please, get to your seat."

**XxXxXxXxX**

The assessment was long. And dull. And full of the crap I had forgotten to study. _**Oh joy**_. And I for one was convinced I failed it. _**Just FAB-ulous**_ In fact, I walked the 2 mile trek home in my "I'm-absolutely-positive-I-failed-the-biggest-test-of-my-life" mood. I was exhausted, and quite frankly, nearly knocked out about 6 homeless people who begged me for food. And it wasn't until I yelled at the sixth that I realized how hungry I was. "Ah man…" I hissed, pouting as I felt the acid in my stomach send a wave of nausea through my esophagus. "I'm starving…" It was almost ironic that I was announcing this around hobos who had most likely not had a bit in three days. And they took pity on me. Great, I just reached a new personal low.

By the time I got to the apartment building again, it was running on nine-o-clock. I trumped up the stairs, less than thrilled to know that I had just about as much food in my apartment as in my stomach. As I got to my floor, I figured I could probably get food from the woman two doors down with the nine cats, not counting the one who lived in her moo-moo. She was more than willing to feed anyone who listened to her babble about all the cats she had ever owned. I sighed; I didn't feel like subjecting myself to that today.

"Please, Miss Yura, you need to help me! Something's wrong!"

"Demyx Mizu, you owe me money—why should I help you after you and your room mate has kept me up night after night ever since you two moved in here?

"Please, Miss Yura!"

The woman with black hair slammed the door in Demyx's face. I cocked my head to the side, walking up to the obviously distressed blond. "Demyx?" I muttered, tapping his shoulder to catch his attention. "Is something wrong?"

His cobalt irises stared at me for a moment, like trying to remember who I was. Then he grabbed me by the shoulders again—I'm detecting a pattern here—and shook me urgently. "Roxas! Yes, something—I woke up, and—lying there and—I don't know and—and—and—" he started hyperventilating, at which I sighed and sat him down.

"Demyx." He blinked at me. Good, I got his attention. "Who was lying where?"

"Axel," he said immediately. "On the floor."

I nodded. This was a good start. "Okay, what's wrong with Axel?"

He shook his head furiously. "I don't know!"

I sighed again, this time in despair. This wasn't getting me anywhere. "Alright than, take me to your apartment." He stood up quickly, nodding before dragging me—quite literally—to his and Axel's apartment. Stepping in, I groaned; I _**so**_ did not want to be here…Truth be known, though, it was just as I had imagined—a total and complete mess. There was one couch in the middle of the room, which was stained with god-knows-what, remains of food containers scattered all over the floor, and beer bottles as for as the eye could see. Bluntly put, it was disgusting. Shoving my disgust aside, I scanned the room, soon finding my least favorite person sprawled on the floor in the hallway. I sauntered over casually, kneeling beside him. Demyx had obviously turned him over earlier. "When did you find him?" I asked, touching at his throat, searching for a pulse.

"Like, fifteen to twenty minutes ago."

I nodded. It took a minute, but after much concentration, I found a pulse, however faint it was. And slow—too slow. "Call an ambulance," I told Demyx. "We need to get him to the hospital." Demyx did as he was told as calmly as he could muster—which was pretty damn calm compared to how he had gotten my attention earlier. After about fifteen minutes—for god sakes, a pizza could get here faster—the paramedics showed up, and took Axel off on a gurney. Deep in the bowels of my mind, I wished he'd die, but on the other hand, I hoped he didn't—for Demyx's sake at least. They seemed really close, and I couldn't imagine loosing your best friend—not like I had one anyway. I was about ready to just go home and mope in the fact that I had no food—not like it would have mattered much anyway—but Demyx kept pulling on my arm, saying, "come with me," and, "I don't want to be alone." God, he was clingy. But seeing as his best friend was going to the hospital, I humored him and stuck to him, following him down the stairs and out the building to his blue 1973 Camero, climbing in without a word—which was fine, because Demyx was doing enough talking for the both of us—as we drove after the ambulance. I drowned out Demyx's frantic banter by staring out the window, bored out of my mind—almost literally, I could have sworn I saw it walk away—as I, once again, counted the hobos on the sidewalk. But the hobos were joined by pimps and their hoes, now. _**Oh Joy**_.

"—and I mean, it's not like I expect you to like him or anything, but I think it's really sweet that you're helping Axel out like this, even though you hate his guts; actually, I was wondering, why do you hate him so much? Other than the fact that we're loud, we give you no reason to hate us, then again, the whole damn building hates us, but why do I give a fuck? What am I saying, I don't! Neither does Axel really—are you even listening to me?"

I blinked, staring at Demyx, who was pouting in the driver's seat. I was partially shocked at the fact that he had _**finally**_ stopped talking, but also shocked that he had asked me _**why**_ I hated Axel. Grant it, I had always hated him, ever since the two moved in, but until this point, I hadn't really asked myself why. I mean, it wasn't like I knew him at all—I hadn't really given myself the chance to. It was just a feeling I had when the two had entered the building. But now, I wasn't so sure.

"Are you ever going to answer me?" Demyx asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Apparently, he wasn't used to being ignored.

I was silent for a few more minutes, staring out the windshield, trying to discover the reason for my strong dislike for the red head. And sadly—I couldn't find a decent reason. And that made me feel like the ass I'd decided Axel was. And that, quite frankly, hurt. I sighed, knowing Demyx was watching me out of the corner of his eye. "I…really don't know…"

Demyx grinned sheepishly. "Now, which question are you answering?"

I sighed, banging my head on the passenger window. "I don't know why I hate Axel. He just…I don't know…he bugs me. He creeps me out, you know?"

Demyx shrugged offhand, turning into the hospital parking lot. "Yeah, well, he does that a lot. He likes to creep people out. But once you get to know him…he's not so bad. In fact, he's kind of sweet. And REAL selfless. It's wicked awesome. He's like, the best friend anyone could ever have." He parked the Camero, and then turned to me. "Just give him a chance. I think you'll find he's not as he seems." He then climbed out, and, after a moment's hesitation, I followed suit. I had to take four times the strides to keep up with Demyx as we headed for the main entrance to the building. Now, I don't know about you, but every time I enter a hospital, I just get this horrible feeling in my gut, and I smell something really bad. While most of my friends say it's either the smell of old people, or my imagination, I'm fully convinced it's the smell of death. Then again, I hate hospitals more than Axel, so that might explain it. Anyway, so while I was busy obsessing over the smell of death, Demyx was signing us into the hospital to visit Axel—and it was during this time I asked myself what I was doing here. I quickly remembered, however, as Demyx dragged me to the elevator, ranting once again at the speed of light. I actually found myself answering with short sounds like, "Nngh," and, "mm." Then there was the agonizing walk from the elevator, down the hall, and into the actual room, where the two dumb asses exchanged greetings of "hey!" and "What the fuck did you do?!" Most of their drunken banter I ignored, until I heard Axel ask, "So, what's blondie over there here for?" Demyx was all smiles then—god it burned—and pulled me over beside him and began having a spaz attack over the fact that I came with him after he begged and pleaded.

"Huh," Axel got to mutter a minute or two later, watching me with those freaky-ass eyes, slightly interested. "So the tin-boy has a heart after all, huh?"

The moment I heard this, my brain shut down completely. And I still cannot believe what I did next. There was this annoyed little, "keh" noise, followed by a hand on the hip, and the "oh-no-you-didn't" stance. "Excuse me?" I hissed. "Who are you calling a tin-boy, dick? I'll have you know, that if it weren't for me, you'd still be lying on the floor, and maybe even dead for whatever the hell was wrong with you. And you know what? I would have been happy! And I don't even know why!" Frustrated, I turned on my heel, feeling a bit foolish about my rampage. I slammed his door, leaning against it. I rubbed at my temples with my fingertips; I was starting to get a headache. Why in the world was I getting so worked up over this? He was a conceded, no-good dick, and yet…I let him get to me. It wasn't the first time I'd dealt with someone like him; hell, my boyfriend Hayner Toshi was one of the biggest dicks I knew, but I knew how to handle him. Axel…he was a whole different pedigree, if you know what I mean. I sighed, pushing off the door when I heard Demyx about to open it.

Demyx was genuinely concerned, I'll give him that. There was just something there that told me that. With a furrowed brow and quiet voice, he asked, "Are you okay, Roxas?"

To be honest, I wasn't so sure. My heart felt heavy, and it hurt. I didn't know why. I wanted to just smile and say, "peachy," or something gay like that, but I didn't want to lie. I sighed, and slid down the hospital's ivory wall. "I don't know Demyx. I'm just…I don't know…" I wanted to continue, but I had said all I could say. That and my cell phone started to go off in my bag, and it was a mad dash to get to it. I didn't even bother to look at the screen once I'd found it in the abyss. "Hello?"

"_Good god, since when have you answered the phone with 'hello'?"_

I smiled, recognizing the voice immediately. "Chill. I didn't look at the caller ID, alright? I was kind of scrambling for my phone. So, what's new, Hayner?"

There was a faint, "Meh" on the other side. _"Where are you? I went by your apartment, but you weren't there. Are you even out of class?"_

"Yeah, I am." I sighed, glancing at Demyx, giving him the cue to leave. Once he'd slipped into Axel's room, and I was absolutely sure the door was closed, I continued. "You know the asshole next door to me, Axel? Well, he and Demyx had one of their usual parties last night, and I had to break it up. When I came back from class, Demyx was in a panic because he found Axel lying on the floor, unresponsive."

"_Duuuude..."_

"So, I helped Demyx out, called an ambulance, and then Demyx dragged me into the hospital. And so, here I am."

"_I thought you hated hospitals…"_

"I do," I muttered. "I was DRAGGED here." I shook my head, scowling as I heard my current boyfriend chuckle. "Anyway, what were you doing at my apartment? You never come over."

"_Oh yeah! Are you free tonight?_"

I thought about it. I had no class tomorrow, but I did have work. My boss was cool though, and the café I worked at never got busy, so I figured I could call in. "I think so. Why?" I smiled. "What's the occasion?"

"_A new club opened up last night, Moonlight I think it's called, and I heard from Seifer that Nobody's Rain is going to be playing there tonight. I wanted to take you, since NR is your favorite band and all."_

Nothing in the whole world could describe the fit of joy I went into. "Are you fucking serious?!" I nearly screamed. "Nobody's Rain?! Here?! No fucking way!" I pressed my phone harder to my ear, waiting for Hayner to yell, "PSYCHE!", but when it didn't come, I screamed, "You're SERIOUS!!! OMIGOD! You are not joking, are you?!"

"_Nope,_" Hayner muttered passed a chuckle. "_I'll pick you up from your place at nine. Be ready."_

"Totally. I love you!"

A chuckle. "_Love you too."__** Click**_.

Tucking my Nokia in my bag, I stood up with a quick little squeal, a small jig, and opened Axel's door, feeling considerably more cheerful. Demyx stared at me curiously, and Axel raised a perfectly arched brow. "What's got you all jazzed up?" he asked bitterly. "Find out Satan's looking for recruits?"

I grinned, clenching my teeth tightly. "Oh, no, you can't ruin my mood now. NOTHING can ruin me now." Demyx cocked his head to the side. "My boyfriend just called."

"You're gay?" Axel yelled.

"Yes. Anyway, he said that he's going to take me to the new night club, and my favorite band is playing."

"Who's your favorite band?" Demyx asked, genuinely interested.

I smiled, doing another little jig. "Nobody's Rain."

Demyx gasped. "No freaking way! That's ours too! They're in town?!" He grabbed Axel's hands. "Awe, man, we gotta go! We GOTTA go!"

Axel stared at him, one of those dead-pan 'you got to be kidding me' stares. "Uh, earth to Demyx, I'm kind of hospitalized."

Demyx pouted, putting his hands on his hips. "Uh, earth to Axel, I know. I wasn't saying tonight. I was saying when you get out."

"Uh, earth to Demyx," Axel hissed, his voice coming louder now. "I think NR is only here for the night, okay?" Demyx stood there, dumbstruck. I think he forgot about the fact that it was at a club. "Duh."

The neighbor I actually liked looked sadly at his feet. He then wiped away his frown and smiled at me. "Roxas, you have fun! Take pictures if you can for me, okay?" I felt kind of bad, but nodded none-the-less. If he couldn't go, I could at least do him that favor, right? I nodded. "Don't worry about us, okay?"

I nodded again. "Hope you get home okay." I then glared at Axel. "Except for you. I hope you die…" With that, I stomped out of the room, checking my pockets for money to take the bus home.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"And so, then he told me the Nobody's Rain was in town, performing at the new night club on eighth street. You know, Moonlight? And guess what? He's taking me to see them!" I squealed, echoing the scream of excitement on the other line. Olette Hikiri was one of my best friends—one of only three girls I knew and liked. She was like everyone's sister; well, except for Pence Ota, who was her long time boyfriend of five years.

_"I'm so excited for you,"_ she cried, not really interested in the band itself, but interested in my life versus hers. _"Hey, how long has it been?_"

"How long has what been?" I asked, pulling my black muscle-tank over my back. It was eight-thirty, and I was finishing up preparations for the date.

Olette giggled, and I heard Pence yell, _"What do you think?_" in the background. _"How long have you and Hayner been together? It's about time isn't it?"_

Pulling up my leather pants, I blinked. "It's been…what…three years now? Yeah, three years." I heard Olette sigh on the other end. "What? What's wrong?"

"_Nothing," _Olette muttered. _"It's just that, isn't it about time you guys moved in together?"_

I sighed. This wasn't the first time Olette tried to con me into moving in with Hayner, and I knew it wouldn't be the last, either. "Look, Olette, I like my space. And Hayner's not ready for that kind of commitment. Hell, commitment scares him more than flying scares you." I pulled on one of my black steel-toed boots with a grunt. "We're perfectly happy _not_ living with each other, and I don't see why us living together should concern you."

Olette sighed heavily. _"You guys are my best friends, and I want to see you happy, that's all."_

"Olette, we _are_ happy. Just let it go, okay?" I pulled on my other boot. "If it will make you feel any better, I'll talk to him tonight. Okay?"

Olette giggled, knowing she had won—like always. _"Alright. Well, I'll let you go. It's about time for Hayner to pick you up, isn't it?"_

"Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow. Tell you how it went." I shut my Nokia, lacing up my boots with the fluid accuracy that told of past experience. This wasn't the first time Hayner had taken me out clubbing. I stood up from the couch, padding to my room. If there was one thing I had to have every time, it was my kandi. Yes, I did spell that right: kandi. Kandi is the multi-colored, glowing, out-of-the-ordinary bracelets and necklaces ravers collect/make. And I had A TON! Not like I went to raves or anything—I hate big crowds—but Hayner did, and always brought me back kandi. As I was putting on the hundreds of bracelets one-by-one, I heard the familiar pattern Hayner always used when he knocked on my door. "It's open!" I heard the door click open, and then slam shut.

"Are you ready yet?" Hayner yelled.

"Almost," I replied, sticking my head out of the bedroom to look at him. As I had suspected, he was wearing his black fishnet tank, leather pants and boots. I smiled. "If you want to go, come help me put on my kandi." He sighed aggravatedly, but succumbed none-the-less. He grabbed a handful of kandi and tried shoving it up my arm—that didn't work so well. I smiled. "This is why it takes so long to put it on."

"And yet it takes less that five seconds to take off," Hayner muttered with slight amazement. He then started trailing each piece up my arm, much quicker at it than I am. In about five minutes, we had one arm done, and half of the other. "Why do you need to wear all this?"

"I don't," I replied, fidgeting with one of the kandi pieces. "But I want to." As he finished the last bracelet, he put the kandi necklace with the glow sticks—all assorted colors—around my neck. "Besides, if we get separated, I'm easy to find."

He smirked. "You're not that easy to lose, sorry to spoil your fun." He grasped the necklace and pulled me forward, our mouths slamming together. Truth be known, it almost hurt, but it felt good all the same. His hands cupped around my ears, pulling me closer, our mouths opening atop each other in harmony. His tongue caressed mine, and I shivered, a small sound bubbling in my throat. He then pulled away with a smile, chuckling as I pouted. He pecked my forehead. "Do you want to see NR or what?" I guess my eyes must have lit up, because he laughed harder, shaking his head. "Okay, c'mon, let's go."

**XxXxXxXxX**

"I can't believe they had Lucky 3 there too! That was amazing! Didn't you think so, Hayner?"

"Mmm."

"Ooh, that was so fun!" I spun around as we returned to my apartment door. It was going on three am; I knew Hayner had work at nine, and I didn't want to keep him out too much longer. I grasped his hand, smiling. "I really had a great time. Thanks for taking me."

Hayner shrugged off handedly. I knew something was wrong, right then and there, but I just kept telling myself that it was because he was tired. "It was…great."

I frowned. "Haa-kun? Is something wrong?" I clutched at his arm, holding it against my body. "What's wrong…? You're acting weird…" He slid his arm out of my hold, almost aggressively. "Hayner!"

"I'm done, Roxas."

I stared at him, uncomprehending. "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

He sighed, irritated, and rubbed furiously at the back of his neck. I knew something was really wrong. "Look, Roxas…I've been thinking a lot lately. And I think it's time to move on."

I lit up, thinking that he'd spoken to Olette. "That's what Olette's been telling me! Listen to me; you don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, it's not that," Hayner snapped, causing me to recoil. "I'm not moving in with you. You're not moving in with me. We need to move on. This relationship isn't working."

I froze, staring at him in disbelief. He had said the dreaded four word sentence: "This relationship isn't working." It took me a moment to find my voice again, and even when I did, it was barely there. "What are you saying?" I cried, my voice barely more than a whisper. I blinked furiously, feeling the backs of my eyes burn with the tears that threatened to come. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I saying?" he hissed, leaning in. "Fine Roxas. I thought you were smart, but I'll spell it out for you: We're over. The relationship is over. We're not boyfriends anymore. We're breaking up. You are no longer my world. We should start seeing other people. Have you got the message yet? Cause if not, I've got more ways to say it."

I stared blankly at him. I had nothing to say—what was there to say? My mind had stopped working completely. But suddenly, all at once—the flood gates opened up. The tears I had been holding back came spilling faster than I could comprehend, and I started screaming. "Fine! You know what, Fine! Go! I don't care! It's not me, it's you, right?! But it is me, isn't it?! That's fine! I don't care! Just get out of my face! I never want to see you again! You got that?!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" I kicked my door open, and slammed it on his face. I leaned against the door, listening to his foot falls echo down the corridor, until I couldn't hear them anymore. I let the tears make their way down my face, dribbling off my chin and onto my new Nobody's Rain T-shirt. I didn't bother to stifle my sobs—I didn't care if the whole complex heard them. I just sat in the darkness of my apartment. After a few minutes, I pulled out my cell phone, and called the first person I could think of.

"_Hello?"_

"Olette, I need to come over…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_It's over. We're not boyfriends anymore. We're broken up. We should start seeing other people._ All these things ran through my mind as I drove my black Dodge Neon to Olette and Pence's town house. I hated driving at night, but right now, I didn't care. In some respect, I wanted to get in an accident, but when you're driving at three in the morning, the likely hood is pretty slim. I gripped the steering wheel tightly as Hayner's words raced through my head, my knuckles turning white. I hadn't realized I'd accelerated down K Street, until I went to turn into the town house complex, the tires screeching loudly. I hit the brakes as I came to number 5, the brakes squealing in their haste. I turned the car off, and laid my head on the steering wheel. I had to get a hold of my self. Olette and Pence were doing me a big favor by letting me come over at three in the morning. I didn't want to seem needy. They had enough to worry about. After taking a few deep breaths, I opened my door and stepped out, walking across the parking lot to the couple's door. I rang the door bell, knowing that was easier for them to hear. There was a few seconds of silence, but then I heard two sets of feet pounding down the stairs. When the door flew open, Olette looked spastic, her mahogany hair mussed and green eyes wide. She was holding her robe tightly shut, which made my mind wander. Pence, on the other hand, looked stoned out of his mind, dressed in boxers and a t-shirt. Olette grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me slightly. "What's wrong?" She half-yelled. "What happened? Tell me everything! Pence! Make coffee!" Pence grunted and left, heading for the small kitchen the two shared. She looked at my eyes, which I was certain were rimmed in red. "Roxas…What happened?" She coaxed me in, shutting the door behind us, and sitting the both of us on the couch. She stroked my hair, holding me close to her. "Tell me everything."

And so I did. Every little detail. From the time Hayner showed up to my apartment, through the club, up to the break up moment. Both Pence and Olette listened quietly, letting me tell the story. When I got to the break up, I started to cry, and Olette held me closer, and Pence handed me a box of Kleenex. When I finished, Olette stroked my hair some more, then released me. "Well," she muttered, accepting the coffee Pence brought her. "I'm really sorry, Roxas. Truly, I am. And I thought for sure you two would stay together." She sighed. Sipping the coffee.

Pence shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I didn't. I know Hayner. He doesn't stay in one place too long, let alone a relationship. I'm surprised it lasted this long." He yelped at Olette hit him. "I mean it." He looked me in the eye. "Roxas, I hate to sound inconsiderate, but you knew it wouldn't last, right?"

After a moment, I nodded, leaning back into the upholstery. "Hayner's a wanderer. And I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I saw him tomorrow with someone else. I'd wish them well and tell the other person 'he'll break your heart'. I shouldn't have been surprised by his actions." I smiled sadly. "I'm sorry I had to wake you guys up; I just really needed someone right then. You know? I didn't want to be alone."

I let out an "mmph" as Olette squished me into her breasts, which I had noticed to be growing lately. "Awe, Roxas, you know we love you! That's what friends are for, isn't it?"

I shoved lightly away from her, smiling slightly. "I guess so." I reclined on the couch. "So, anything new?" Pence shrugged, and Olette shook her head. "Maybe it's just me then, but I've noticed something." I smiled broadly. "Olette, you're growing."

Olette blinked rapidly. "Growing?" I pointed at her chest, and she blushed. "What are you looking for, you perv!"

"If you haven't noticed," I defended, "You kind of shove me into them on occasion." I sat up... "Olette, have you taken a pregnancy test?" When she shook her head, I pointed to the bathroom. "Go do it."

As she left, Pence stared at me. "You think she's pregnant?!"

I shrugged. "Why else would she be so moody, and growing? You can't tell me, as her boyfriend, you haven't noticed." He blushed. "That's what I thought. But honestly Pence, don't you want to spend forever with her? You've been talking about it since High School."

"Well, yeah," he muttered. "But…the time hasn't been right, you know?"

I nodded. "Well, now's as good a time as any."

Olette came back, breathless. "Okay, ready?" She sat between me and Pence again. "Ready? Ready." She looked at the box, then down at the test. It was silent for a minute. "…It's blue…" she whispered.

"What's that mean?" Pence asked.

She looked him in the eye, her face lighting up. "We're pregnant!" Pence's eyes grew wide, and, despite the spasm he had had moments before, he hugged her furiously, as Olette started screaming, "We're Pregnant!"

I smiled, watching their celebration with pride. Silently, I slipped out of the town house. They wouldn't notice me gone for quite some time, and frankly, I thought it better to leave them alone for a while—they had a lot to talk about now. Namely, what to do next. I paced to my car, sliding into the front seat and starting the vehicle with a sigh. I pulled out of the complex, shooting back down K Street to my apartment complex. The drive, though it only takes fifteen minutes, seemed a lot longer in the darkness of early morning. There were a few more cars on the road now. I glanced at the clock on the dash board: 4:00 Am. I sighed; there went a whole night's worth of sleep. The strangest thing was, I wasn't the least bit tired. I was full of adrenaline; the club, the fight, the admission, and the celebration—all these things had filled me with enough energy to get me through the rest of the day. And that kind of pissed me off. I liked sleep; it kept me from having to deal with life. I pulled into my complex parking lot, slamming my hand on the steering wheel before I climbed out. I trucked up the stairs, passing some people heading out to work, some who commented on my late coming, and some who gave me dirty looks—don't ask why, I really don't know. As I got to my floor, I saw Old Man Dithers doing his daily struggle. In my moment of weakness, I felt bad for the old man, and picked up his paper, handing it to him. "Here, sir."

He blinked up at me with his beady eyes, and smiled a toothless grin. "Why, thank ya, child. I probly nevah woulda got it taday. My back is jus' hurtn' too much dis mornin'." He patted my arm with an oddly strong hand. "You're a good kid, Roxas."

Regardless how crummy I felt, I had to smile and Old Man Dithers. "You're welcome sir. Do you need any groceries? I can go pick some up today for you, if you'd like…" Ugh, bleeding hearts of the world UNITE! "I'm not doing anything today."

He let out a weezy chuckle. "Nah, I went shoppin' yesterday. Thank ya kindly, boy." He then shuffled his way back into his apartment.

I sighed, waiting until his door shut. I then looked up, spotting a certain red head leaning against my door in his usual black hoodie and pants. I scowled. I really didn't feel like dealing with him today. I stomped over. He barely looked at me as I glared at him. I opened my mouth to say something, and he scoffed. "Don't start acting all touch because I'm around," he muttered. I nodded to Old Man Dither's door. "I saw your act down there. You're not all big and bad." He shoved off my door, crossing his arms over his anorexicly thin chest, his bright green eyes examining me thoughtfully. He especially took a long look at my face. "…He didn't hurt'cha…" he muttered, probably more to himself.

"What are you babbling about?" I asked, probably more bitter than I wanted.

He blinked curiously at me. "I heard you having a fight an hour or so ago with someone." _Hayner,_ I thought bitterly. "I was wondering if you were okay."

"Humph." I turned to my door. "So the dick has a heart after all, huh?" I opened my door. "As you can see, I'm not hurt. So just…just go." I swallowed hard, hearing my voice crack. _**Shit.**_ I turned my face away, feeling the familiar burning sensation again, trying to hide my face from the one person I hated. "Just go…I want to be alone…"

I felt his hand on my shoulder, and, with surprising strength, he turned me to face him, just as a few tears coursed down my cheeks. He stared at me with an 'I-told-you-so' smug look on his face. He handed me a Kleenex, which I took and wiped my face with. "After a break up," Axel muttered, "It's best not to be alone." He shut my door, and pulled me by the arm into his and Demyx's apartment. It was a little cleaner since I had seen it yesterday. Demyx was no where to be found, but I could hear him snoring softly in one of the bedrooms. Axel sat me down in one of the wooden chairs in the kitchen, then retreating for the fridge. "Let me tell you from experience," he said, not exactly quiet. "Break up's suck ass. BIG time. But you know what? You can't let your life go ka-put just because the person you thought you'd spend forever with doesn't feel the same." He pulled out a Coke, placing it on the counter. He pointed at it, as though asking if I wanted one; I nodded. He started looking for a second one. "Listen, it sucks. But if you were friends first, then you've still got that friendship." He smiled, pulling out a second Coke.

"I'm done with him," I croaked, taking the Coke he handed me. "Our friendship was rocky enough. I don't know why I let him seduce me into a relationship I knew wouldn't last." I looked across the table at the seat Axel had sat in, watching him muss his already tangled hair. "But why do you care what happens in my life?"

"Because I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, Merry Christmas happy New Year." He looked almost regretfully at the bedroom Demyx was in. "But you know what? Things are cool. You'll move on, and so will he. I just don't want you to go through the hell I went through."

I raised a brow at him, drinking my Coke cautiously. I couldn't believe that this jerk, this ass-wipe I had come to hate, was worried about me and my well-being. For a few minutes, I thought I was in the twilight zone, until I heard Demyx come out, muttering, "Wazgoinon?" The could-have-been-musician blinked sleepily at me for a few seconds before smiling. "Hiya, Roxas. We heard you fighting with your boyfriend last night." He hugged me from behind. "How ya feeling?"

"Pretty damn lousy," I muttered, feeling the young man ruffle my hair almost playfully. He chuckled as I bated his hand away. I stared at my lap, my finger tracing the coke can's rim. "I just can't see why it fell apart."

Demyx sat in the only spare chair, next to me. "You were anticipating to much, man. If you can't see why, then you saw nothing but good." He smiled sadly at Axel, who looked away. He sighed. "But really, all you can hope for is that he understands your pain someday." He then giggled as Axel whacked him over the head. "You should try to find a way to make him jealous. That always works."

I thought about it. Hayner was always the jealous type. But if it was over, would he really care? I wasn't so sure. I shook my head. "Nah, no reason to fan the flames now." I sighed, sliding down in my chair. "I'll get over it."

"Until then," Demyx cheered, "We'll be here for you!" His cheerfulness was slightly contagious, as I felt myself feel a bit better. "Neighbors are friends, and friends are neighbors, after all!" He then got up, clamoring through the cabinets for pans to get a start on breakfast.

I sat in silence for a while, watching Demyx struggle with a particular black pan. After yanking as hard as he could, it came flying out of the cabinet, slamming into the sink and sending a loud noise echoing through the small apartment. Axel stood up, reprimanding Demyx like a small child, who had started to cry an apology. Quite frankly…the spectacle was amusing. I snorted, trying to fight back a laugh I felt bubbling up inside me. Axel heard it, and grinned sadistically, fwapping Demyx over the head, making the younger man cry louder. I couldn't help myself; I started laughing. But I was crying too. I knew, just from what Axel told me, that these two had once been in mine and Hayner's position, and yet, they lived with each other, as friends, like the relationship never happened. And, a small part of me hoped, maybe even prayed, that Hayner and I could be like this. Thinking on it made me cry harder, knowing it wouldn't happen. I hiccupped, trying feebly to wipe away the onslaught of tears running down my face. It had grown quiet around me, and I felt foolish. I hiccupped again, frustrated that the tears wouldn't stop. I heard Demyx chuckle, and as much as I wanted to get up and smack him across the face, I knew I wasn't very intimidating with tears streaming down my face. But then I felt his arms wrap around my neck. I don't know why, but this made me cry harder, and my arms wrapped around his waist. All at once, all the things Hayner had ever said to me, beyond our three year relationship, started repeating in my head, making everything worse. My heart began to ache, as though something was missing. And the only image I could think of was this giant iron fist plunging into my chest, ripping out my still-beating heart, and crushing it in one squeeze. I coughed loudly, choking on my own sobs. Demyx pulled away from me, wiping my face gently with the back of his hand. His Navy eyes lock with my own, and I knew he understood exactly how I felt. He then stood me up, and took me to the couch, where we sat, me crying, and Demyx stroking my hair in a consoling manner.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"Demyx! Get OUT of the kitchen!"

"UWaaaaaaaahhhHHH!"

My eyes snapped open. I didn't remember falling asleep, but I also knew I wasn't in my apartment. I glanced around slowly, allowing myself to exhale a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I sat up slowly, glancing over the brown piece of furniture. Demyx was cowering on one of the chairs, giggling nervously as Axel towered over him, a frying pan in one hand, a pink Pikachu apron tied around his waist. I was quiet, hearing Axel yell, "We are NOT going out to eat tonight, because, if you haven't noticed, we're broke!"

Demyx scowled. "Um, earth to Axel, that's not my fault. You're the drug addict!"

Axel raised the pan threateningly. "Shut up," he hissed. "Roxas doesn't know that yet!"

"I do now…" I muttered weakly. My throat was sore, and I swallowed repeatedly, coughing.

The roommates looked at me, their eyes as wide as saucers—_flying _saucers. Demyx then scowled at Axel. "You woke him up! Nice going, jack ass!"

Axel glared at Demyx. "If you hadn't of got into the kitchen, I wouldn't have yelled at you, and he wouldn't have woke up. Duh!"

I stood up from the couch. "Look, it's okay, don't fight about it." I walked over, and stared at Axel. "…I have two questions. One, what time is it, and two…why are you wearing a pink, Pikachu apron?"

Demyx started laughing as Axel blushed furiously. "To answer your first question, it's five o clock in the afternoon." I blanched. "To answer your second question…" Axel shifted with the pan. "…Demyx bought it as a gag gift four years ago."

I gave his a dead-pan stare, but said nothing, nodding. "Right…" I took the frying pan from Axel. "Well, if you're a druggie, you shouldn't cook." I shoved him out of the kitchen. "I'll cook."

Axel stared at me incredulously. He then snorted. "You'd think you'd want to keep me busy."

I thought about it, realizing he was right. I sighed, frustrated. "Fine, you'll help me. Now give me the apron; you look like a retard." Axel took off the apron, and I took it, tying it around my waist. I heard a low whistle from the red head. "What?"

"You were right. I would look retarded. It fits you pretty well." He smiled, and I tried to smack him across the face, failing miserably, because I couldn't reach. "Well, I can already tell who was the bitch in your relationship." I froze, remembering the entire reason why I wasn't in my apartment. I swallowed, feeling the tears burn my eyes again. I heard a smack, and Axel yelp. "Okay, okay, sorry, don't cry, okay?" I nodded slowly, and looked up. Axel was uneasy, looking at my face for signs that I was about to start bawling again.

I took a deep breath, and placed my hands on my hips. "Are we going to cook something, or what?" Seeing that I wasn't about the burst into uncontrollable tears, the druggie relaxed with a sigh. He nodded, moving to the fridge. "What are we making?"

Axel grinned. "Spaghetti!" Demyx yelled.

"All right," I muttered, pretending to push up imaginary sleeves. "Spaghetti it is! Let's get cooking!"

**XxXxXxXxX**

"Damn, that was probably the best spaghetti I've had that wasn't from a restaurant…"

"I agree…"

I smiled at seeing my neighbors stuffed so full they thought they were going to explode. "Glad I could be of service."

I stood up and replaced the apron around my waist, stopping when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned slightly, seeing Axel shake his head with a smile. "No, I'll clean up. WITHOUT the apron." I scowled, taking off the apron as I watched Axel take a few plates into the kitchen, placing them in the sink. Demyx retreated to the couch where he turned on the TV, giggling when Invader Zim came on. Sighing, I hopped up on the counter, watching Axel run hot water over the dishes, wiping them with a sponge before placing them in the dishwasher.

I glanced to Demyx, who was occupied with the cartoon, then looked back at my least favorite red head. "So," I muttered quietly, catching his attention. "You and Demyx…?"

Axel snorted darkly. "Not any more. Not for two years."

"Who broke it?"

"I did."

"…" I watched him sadly. While part of me wanted to laugh and say, "you suck!", another part of me wanted to cry. "…why…?" I asked, feeling my throat tighten. Deep down, I hoped this would explain why Hayner did it.

Axel shrugged, placing the last plate in the dishwasher. "We're too much alike, yet so much different. It was safer being friends…"

"But don't you feel like you're missing something…?" He stared at me with his cat-like eyes. "Don't you have this hole in your heart where he used to be…?" I sniffed, feeling my eyes start to swell with tears again. "Doesn't it hurt…?" I cupped my face in my hands, shuddering. "Doesn't it…?"

He sighed, and wrapped his arms around me. We rocked back and forth, Axel shushing me like a small child. "Shh…you delicate doll…" Oddly enough, as much as I hated him yesterday, I found his embrace oddly comforting. "You've never been through this, have you?" I shook my head—no use in denying it. He basically knew. He sighed, rocking me to and fro against his chest, stroking my hair delicately.

"_Gomen Nasai, for everything! Gomen Nasai I know I let you down! Gomen Nasai til the end—I never needed a friend like I do now!"_

I shoved away, hearing my cell phone, which Demyx threw to me. I answered it hurriedly, again, not looking at the caller ID. "Hayner?" I prayed.

"_Sorry, no."_ I sighed sadly, hearing my cousin's voice on the other line. _"I heard from Olette what happened though. I'm really sorry, Roxas. Is there anything I can do?"_

"No, Sora…I'm okay…"

I heard Sora hum disbelievingly. _"You don't sound okay. Were you just crying?"_

I sniffed, scowling past my tears at the phone. "And so what if I was? What are you going to do about it?"

Sora giggled, and it made me smile a bit. _"I'm just concerned. Honestly, Roxie, he was a prick. You deserve better. You need someone who treats you like royalty, because you deserve it after the crap Hayner's put you through."_

"He wasn't that horrible," I defended my ex, as though hoping that on some alternate universe he would hear my defense.

Sora laughed. _"Not that horrible? He constantly led you on; at one point, you didn't hear from him for so long that you called the police to search for him; I for one never knew if you guys were talking; you always fought over something; if that's the perfect relationship, Riku and I are doing it all wrong."_

I sighed, knowing my cousin was right. I traced hidden patterns on the counter top, wiping my face with my other hand. "Okay," I muttered. "Maybe you're right."

"_Maybe?_" My cousin scoffed. _"I know I'm right! You can't deny it Roxas!"_

I sighed, rubbing at my eyes. "Look, Sora, I really don't want to talk about this right now. I'm upset enough as it is. Just drop it." I guess he got the message, because after I hung up on him, he didn't call me back. Axel was looking at me uncertainly, hands on his hips. Even Demyx had turned around on the couch to watch me. I hopped off the counter. "I'm going to go home," I muttered, shrugging. I then smiled at each of them in turn. "Thanks for the hospitality."

"Thanks for dinner!" Demyx cheered from the couch.

I smiled, walking to the door. Axel followed me out the door to mine. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" he asked, leaning on my door frame as I unlocked the door. "Do you want me or Demyx to stay with you?"

I shook my head. "I'll be fine. I just need some time to think. Okay?" I smiled, stepping into my apartment, clicking the light on. "Thank you," I told him, and I honestly meant it. He smiled softly, and I shut the door, sighing heavily. I walked to my answering machine, noticing two messages; I checked them. A woman's voice said: _"You have two new messages. First message…"_ I then heard Olette's voice. _"Hey Roxas! It's Olette. Listen, I know you're probably in a world of hurt right now, but don't shut us out, okay? You're our best friend. Call me back, okay? I'm worried about you."_ There was a beep, then the woman's voice came back. _"Second message…"_ I froze, hearing the one voice I didn't want to hear. _"Roxas. It's Hayner. Olette called me and gave me one hell of a lecture. She also told me how hard you're taking this. I'm sorry, but it's for the better, okay? Don't do anything stupid. We can still be friends. And that's what's important, right? Anyway, call me back if we can remain friends."_ There was another beep. I had to sit on the floor, as a whimper slipped past my lips. I didn't feel as though Hayner understood. I wanted to call him back, and beg him to take me back in his arms. But…I couldn't. I didn't want to hear his voice again if I could avoid it. I struggled to stand, but my legs could barely hold me. Never the less, I stumbled to my stereo, putting on my favorite band, t.a.t.u. Sadly, there was only one song I wanted to hear, and it described mine and Hayner's relationship: Gomenasai. It started with the usual soft piano, and I sat numbly in front of the electronic. _What I thought wasn't mine, in the light, was it one of a kind? A precious Pearl. _I choked, knowing that this was how most of our friends described me. I knew that this was Hayner in that respect; he may have been a jerk, but he did treat me relatively well._ When I wanted to cry, I couldn't cause I wasn't allowed. _This was especially true. Any time I ever cried in front of Hayner resulted in a new fight._ Gomen Nasai, For everything—_I couldn't do anything right. _Gomen Nasai, I know I let you down—_I can't fix anything. _Gomen Nasai til the end; I never needed a friend like I do now. _I don't want to be alone, but being alone feels so much better. I hung my head, allowing the crystalline liquid to pour down my face._ What I thought wasn't all So innocent, Was a delicate doll Of porcelain. _My eyes widened at this. Axel had called me a delicate doll. Was I porcelain? This porcelain doll for people to ogle?_ When I wanted to call you, and ask you for help, I stopped myself._ The stereo suddenly stopped, and I started. Axel was standing next to the stereo, his finger on the off button. He was staring at me coldly. I looked around, tears flying off my face as I spotted Demyx in the doorway, giving me his 'poor you' look. I realized something then and there—I wasn't about to ask Axel and Demyx for help. Was this my own Gomenasai moment? I wasn't sure. I don't know why, but then my tears came harder and faster than before; I darted up and hugged Axel around the waist, crying into his hoodie. Axel just stood there, stroking my hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Good morning, Roxas!" I looked up from the table I was sitting at. I had told my boss that I would work today to make up for yesterday, but I wasn't expecting Olette and my cousin, Sora Akari, to come waltzing into Aerythum's Café. Olette was wearing her usual pair of khaki capri's and Orange tank top, but she had a white jacket over her shoulders. Her brown hair was in neat ponytails at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were soft and sympathetic. She sat down next to me. "How are you feeling?"

I didn't really know how to answer. Yesterday, if I wasn't sleeping, I was crying. I had woke up this morning on my couch in Axel's arms, and Demyx was sleeping on the floor. It had taken me a full hour and a half to actually get ready for work, when it normally took me twenty minutes. I left my phone sitting on the coffee table, and it didn't end there. Once I actually got to work after nearly getting into three accidents, I broke one of the coffee pots, messed up three orders, spilled coffee on one customer's lap, and broke three cups, which were filled with coffee. All in all, I was a scatter-brained mess. But, for the sake of getting Olette off my back, I lied. I shrugged off-handedly. "Okay, I guess…"

Sora raised a chocolate colored brow, sitting beside Olette. He stared at me almost coldly with his azure eyes, tucking his hands behind his head, which was covered in disheveled brown locks. He crossed his jeaned legs, jingling the keys in his blue windbreaker. "You don't look okay," he muttered slowly. "To put it quite frankly…you look like crap."

I groaned, lying my head on my arms. "Thanks for reminding me."

Olette sighed sadly. "Roxas…are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Aerith told me how you've been totally out of it all morning. Three cups, and a coffee pot gone ka-put?" He shook his head. "It's not like you Roxie. You're nothing but poise, for god sakes."

I sighed, supposing Sora was right. I mean, I won more beauty pageants as a kid because of my poise and balance than you could count. And I had always had that sense of balance. Until now. I shook my head. "I'm okay right now…I'm just…distracted…" I leaned back in my chair, fiddling with my work uniform: White button up shirt and black slacks. "I just can't get him out of my head…Everything is just…I can't explain it…"

"You're free now." Olette and I blanched at Sora. He tucked his hands in his pockets. "You don't have to check with Hayner anymore. You're so used to doing things on his schedule, and now you don't have that." He smiled. "You're free."

Olette looked at me, and I looked at my lap. Was that it? Was that why I was so out of whack? I sighed. I didn't think that was it, but I thought I could humor Sora for a while. "Maybe so…maybe that is it." Saying this out loud…made me feel a little better, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It made me smiled a bit.

Olette smiled at me. "Don't you feel better?"

"A little," I admitted.

Sora sniggered. "Now maybe you can actually get some work done!" I glared at him, that hit him playfully, smiling. "Now there's the Roxas we know."

I sighed, feeling better. "So, what brings you guys to Aerythum's?"

"You," Olette replied. "That, and Sora was taking me to the doctor's. Pence has class, so Sora promised me yesterday that he'd take me." I nodded. "So, we had some time to kill before hand, and we decided to come check on you if you were working."

I glanced around the nearly empty café, hands in the air. "It's never busy." We laughed.

"Roxas," a soft-sounding woman muttered. She walked over, wearing a pink dress, a matching bow tying off her mahogany braid. She smiled softly, her emerald eyes watching Sora and Olette. She was my boss. "You're break is over," she informed me quietly. "Unless Sora and Olette are going to order something, I'm going to have to ask them to leave." She smiled apologetically at them.

Sora stood up, stretching. "No biggie, Aerith. I need to take Olette to the doctor's anyway." Olette stood up as well.

Aerith smiled. "Alright then. Buh-bye." As the two left and the bell above the door rang, she looked back to me. "Are you ready to work now?"

With a sigh, I nodded, standing up and tucking in the chairs at the table. "I promise," I told her, "I won't break anything else." She just nodded and walked to the front. I was wiping down the tables and chairs when I heard the bell jingle again. I heard Aerith greet the new guest, then exclaim, "Sir, you can't go back there!" I turned around to see the commotion, only to find Axel walking toward me, my cell phone in his hand. I scowled. "Don't blow Aerith off like that!" I yelled, snatching my phone and tucking it in my pocket.

Axel smiled darkly. "That's the thanks I get for bringing it to you?"

I sighed, agitated. "Fine, thank you. Now, will you either go, or treat Aerith right and be a decent customer?" He walked back over to Aerith as though he hadn't just burst through the café. I watched him with a scowl as he followed Aerith to a table. After a few minutes, Aerith told me to take care of him, seeing as I knew him. This kind of irritated me. I walked over to his table. "I hope you're happy, " I hissed, glaring at him.

"Oh, extremely," the satanic red head chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "After all, I can sit here, order as much coffee as I want, and pester you."

I huffed. He was so much nicer yesterday. "Whatever. Have you even looked at the menu yet?"

He glanced at it, uninterested. "Nah, I was too busy watching you. You're semi-distracting, leaning over those tables." He smirked as I felt the blood rush to my face, my jaw clenched tightly. "Okay, I'll look at the fucking menu." He smirked, glancing down at the menu for minute. I tapped my foot, ignoring the stares from my co-workers at the new shade of red I had plastered all over my face. "Okay," he muttered. "For now, I want a cup of coffee, decaf, and a bear claw." I snatched the menu from his hand, and turned on my heel furiously.

I handed the menu back to a curious Aerith. "We should NOT be serving him," I hissed. "He's just here to stalk me."

Aerith smiled. "The longer he stays here, ordering something, the more you get paid, remember?"

I blinked. "Oh yeah…" I smiled sadistically. "This will get interesting." I then nearly skipped to the coffee machine, pouring Axel's coffee with relative ease compared to the morning's disasters. Placing one of the bear claw pastries on a small plate, a gathered the order up and brought it to him, the Cheshire cat grin still plastered to his face. I smiled. "Are you happy now?"

"I suppose," Axel muttered, sipping at the coffee. "Now go off and do waiter like things."

I snorted, going to attend to a few other customers, ignoring the stares of my co-workers. The bell rang again, and I heard a familiar voice I hadn't heard in over a month. "I can't believe I haven't been here until now!"

I turned around, spotting one of my old neighbors, Kairi Hikari. "Oh my god! Kairi!"

The red headed girl blinked, before screaming happily. "OMIGAWD! Roxas!" She ran over to me, dodging the coffee pot in my hand, and hugged me. "Omigod, it's been AGES!" She looked at me, her blue eyes lit up. "How are you?"

I shrugged off-handedly. "Working, learning, dealing with neighbors." I watched her adjust her short pink dress. "So, what brings you to Aerythum's?"

She smiled happily. "I'm on a date with my boyfriend. He's parking the car now. Oh, you have to meet him, he's the best! We've been dating for a month and a half now." The bell rang and Kairi got excited. "There he is!" She ran back to the door…and I froze. She smiled back at me, hugging a particular blond with auburn eyes. "This is my boyfriend, Hayner!"

It was an awkward moment. I dropped my coffee pot, and Hayner had this look that clearly read, "oh shit". Kairi was glancing between the two of us, confused. Hayner then grabbed her arm. "Look, let's go somewhere else…"

"But Roxas works here!"

"I realize that," Hayner hissed. He looked back up, and his eyes widened. I hadn't felt the tears running down my face; I didn't even realize they were there until I heard Kairi say, "Roxas? What's wrong?"

I startled my self, wiping the tears away quickly. "It's nothing," I hiccupped, hiding my face from customer and co-worker alike. I couldn't make out the floral pattern on the floor; it was a giant blob of color. "I just…" I choked back a sob, turning on my heel and running to the back of the café. I slammed myself into the wall in the back room, burying my face in the wallpaper.

"Roxas?"

I turned, face to face with Hayner. He was rubbing at his bicep nervously. But there was no sign of apology written on his face. No sign of regret. My tears went from tears of pure sorrow to tears of utmost hate. "You two-timing bastard," I hissed, taking a step forward, watching with slight satisfaction when he took a step back. "You two-timing, selfish, son of a bitch!"

"Look, Roxas, I can explain."

"You can explain?!" I screamed. "You can explain?! Well go right ahead! There must some great excuse for cheating on me with my former neighbor for a month and a half! Lay it on me!" Hayner fell silent. He had no response. "No? No good reason? I didn't think so!" I grabbed one of the pictures on the wall, slamming it to the floor with a crash. I picked up one of the larger pieces of glass from the now broken frame. "There's NEVER a good reason!" I then threw the shard with amazing accuracy, missing his face by mere centimeters.

"Roxas!" he yelled, yanking the glass shard out of the wall. "Calm down!"

"Calm down he says," I muttered almost sadistically. "Why, he expects me to calm down!" I picked up another shard of glass. "Why, of course I'll come down, once you've realized WHAT THE HELL YOU'VE DONE!" I threw another shard, this time missing completely. I bent to pick up another one, and as I stood up, I found myself pinned to the wall.

Hayner was stepping on my feet, and had a hold on my wrists, pressing me to the wall. "Shut up and listen to me, dammit!" The hand gripping the glass twitched. "Roxas. I know what I did was wrong. Cheating was wrong, and I know that. But what happened, happened. You can't come after me now, because we're over…"

"Don't say that," I whimpered, tears continuing to stream down my face. "Don't say that. We're not…we're not…"

"We are," Hayner insisted, squeezing my wrists, making me drop the glass shard I had been holding, sending it clattering to the floor with the other shards. "There is no us." I whimpered. "There is no we." I shook my head. "There's you." I shook my head again. "There's me." I hiccupped. "Separate."

"No," I prayed. "No, together. Us, please…"

Hayner tightened his grip on my wrists, growling. I yelped slightly. "No, Roxas, no us. Wake up and smell the distance. We're not a couple anymore." I shook my head, and he slammed me into the wall again. "Yes, Roxas!" He shook me again, my head slamming against the wall.

"Put. Him. Down." Slowly, I felt Hayner's grip on my wrists loosen, until his touch was no longer there. I slid down the wall, shards of glass ripping my slacks and cutting my legs as I hit the ground. I looked up weakly to see Axel in the doorway, an open switch blade in his hand, Hayner was glaring, but said nothing. When Axel nodded for Hayner to leave, the blond obeyed without a word.

As I watched Hayner walk away, my mouth kept mouthing the word 'no,' but not a sound came out. Axel walked over to me, kneeling down in front of me, examining my already bruising wrists. "I'm taking you home," he muttered. "Demyx and I will take care of you." He wrapped my arms around his neck and picked me up. I stared blankly at the people we passed on the way out. I vaguely heard Axel and Aerith talk, but I couldn't tell you what they said. My heart hurt too much to care.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"What happened to him? Is he okay?" Demyx sounded hysterical when we entered my apartment. Axel set me down and took him aside to tell the story. Numbly, I glanced down at my wrists. They were turning a delicate violet now, even though it had only been fifteen minutes. I guess that's what happens when you bruise easy. The two came back, and Demyx sat beside me, clicking his tongue and holding me against him. "Poor thing," he muttered, unaware that I was more conscious now than when we had left the café. I suddenly felt someone's hands on my slacks button, and I stiffened. Demyx shushed me. "Relax," he ordered. "We're going to take care of you, okay…?" I guess I nodded slightly, because I soon felt my slacks come off completely. There was a sharp intake of breath. "We'll need to get the glass out," Demyx muttered, pulling a pair of lounge pants where my slacks had been. He then rolled up the cuffs passed my knees. "Axel, bring me some tweezers, some Hydrogen peroxide, and bandages." I heard Axel's footsteps pad out of the room. Demyx was humming to himself, touching a few of the slices to check depth. A few minutes later, Axel returned, and I started to feel movement in a few of the slices—no doubt glass that Demyx was removing. I winced a little, making Demyx stop. I stared, more aware, around the apartment. Seeing that I wasn't going to yell at him, the musician continued his work, pulling slivers of glass from the wounds. Axel was stroking my hair calmly, watching Demyx pay attention to the smallest details. Finished, he poured the Hydrogen Peroxide over my shins, causing the wounds to bubble with bacteria-killing power. I gasped, pain burning up my legs. Axel held me, and Demyx shushed me like a small child once again. After pouring the liquid a few more times, Demyx took a semi-clean towel and padded my shins gently before wrapping them in an ace bandage. It was a long a tedious process, but soon, it was done, and Demyx sighed, pleased with his work. He then looked up at me, smiling sadly. "Are you okay, Roxas?"

I looked down at my shins, and a replay of what happened flashed through my mind. "Maybe," I whispered, swallowing. I looked at my wrists. "I'll be okay…"

The two looked at each other, only to be startled when there was a hurried knock on the door. Demyx scrambled up to answer it, only to be greeted with the angry voices of Olette and Sora. "Where's Roxas?" Sora demanded. Demyx blinked slowly, motioning them inside, and both Olette and Sora stormed in, Sora half-jogging to my side. He held my wrists, not knowing they were bruised. He seemed frantic. "Roxas? Are you okay?" I don't know how many times I had heard that in the last two days. But I guess it had turned into an automatic response: I nodded. Sora scowled, grabbing my face in his hands, staring into my eyes. "Are you okay? Yes or No." he asked again.

My hands laid over Sora's. "You're hurting me," I muttered quietly. Startled, he removed his hands. I glanced at the floor. "I don't know…I think I am…my chest hurts…my heart hurts…"

Olette sighed. "Roxas…Hayner called me. He told me what happened…"

"So we went back to Aerythum's to see if you were okay," Sora continued. "But Aerith told us that this guy had taken you home. She said she doesn't want you working for a while." He grabbed my wrists again. "Did Hayner hurt you?"

"If you'd pay attention," Axel growled, "You'd know the answer." He then pointed down.

Sora stared at him, confused, before glancing at my wrists, releasing them quickly. Olette gasped in shock. "Dear God…" Sora stared at me. "I'm sorry…"

I shook my head. "It's okay…" I lifted my wrists, staring at the discoloration blankly. "I barely feel it.."

Demyx walked over, handing me a few aspirin and some water. "Take these. You're going to have a headache soon." I nodded, taking the capsules without argument, swallowing them in one shot. Demyx sighed, hands on his hips, then introducing himself and Axel to Olette and Sora. I stared absent mindedly, leaning against Axel, who held me. It was oddly comforting, laying against my neighbor.

After a few minutes, Sora stood up with a sigh. "Well, at least he's safe." He looked at Axel. "Thanks. We owe you one." Axel waved him off. My cousin then looked at Olette. "C'mon. I need to get you home." She nodded and followed him out.

I sat up, out of Axel's embrace. "I have a question," I muttered, my voice hardly a whisper. "Why…? Why do you two care so much…?"

Demyx glanced at Axel, then smiled softly. "That's what neighbors are for." I nodded, satisfied with that in my stupor. I laid my head in Axel's lap, closing my eyes. After a few minutes, I heard Demyx. "Do you think we should tell him?" he whispered.

"Nah," Axel whispered back. "Not right now. He's got enough to concern himself with." I felt Axel stroke my hair. "And if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly his favorite person." Demyx chuckled. "What?"

"Based on the fact that he's laying in your lap, I beg to differ."

There was and annoyed, "keh". "It's probably because of what happened back at the café. Nothing more. You would be the same way if you had been in that position."

"I suppose so…but still, if I hated the person who saved me, I wouldn't be snuggling up to them like that. Regardless."

"…I guess…"

"Don't think on it too much, Axel. I might be wrong. But I think he likes you."

I sighed, but it came out as a sleepy grunt. Did I like Axel? I wasn't exactly sure. He had shown me something I hadn't really expected. He was kind, gentle, and caring. Grant it, he still picked on me incessantly, and was a druggie to boot, but…he was protecting me, and caring for me, too. I didn't really get the chance to think it over. I fell asleep.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"Nnngh…my head…" My head was pounding when I woke up a few hours later. And I was alone too. I sat up, glancing around. For a moment, I thought that I had dreamed the last few days, but when I looked at my bandaged legs and bruised wrists, that dream was shattered. I stood up slowly, my body aching slightly, and walked into my kitchen, finding a note on the fridge.

_Roxas:_

_I went grocery shopping. You have, like, no food! Don't worry about paying me back. That's what friends are for! _

_Demyx_

_P.S: Axel's in our apartment if you need him._

I reread the note a few times before dismissing it and heading to the bathroom for more aspirin for my throbbing head and aching body. I downed two of the pills in one swallow. I then glanced around my apartment. It was eerie, being alone. I didn't like it. I rubbed at my arms, padding to the front door. I glanced down the hall, spotting Axel's door cracked ajar. Hesitantly, I slipped out of my apartment, and into his. It was quiet. For a moment, I was worried that he wasn't here, like Demyx had said, and that some burglar was here. But then I realized, there's nothing here a thief would steal; it's all junk. I stood in the walk way for a moment, until I heard a loud cough from the bathroom, followed by a loud, "god dammit!" Startled, I made a few steps forward. "Axel?" My voice cracked, barely audible. I stepped into the light of the now open bathroom door. My eyes widened.

Axel was bent over the bathroom sink, sporting a bloody nose. There was a small bag open on the counter, filled with a white powder. There was remnants of that powder on the counter. I gasped slightly, slamming my hands over my mouth. I thought I was safe, but Axel saw me through the mirror, spotting my reflection between the door crack. His eyes widened. Holding Toilet paper to his nose, he flung the door open, staring darkly at me. He grabbed me by my jaw, getting close to my face. "You will not speak of this to anyone, understand?" I nodded, scared. He released me, then returned to his bleeding nose. I backed away, running back to my apartment, where I slammed the door, pressing my back against the oak. I clutched at a stitch in my chest, my heart doing a frantic rabbit dance as it hammered fiercely against my rib cage. My eyes were as wide as saucers; I didn't quite understand what had just happened. I mean, I had known Axel was a druggie, but I didn't think… I shook my head roughly. Who was I kidding? Once a druggie, always a druggie. And yet…I couldn't help but hope it would change. I stiffened slightly, hearing foot steps down the hall, only relaxing when I heard Demyx singing happily to himself. I moved off the door just as the towhead knocked the door open with his hip.

The could-have-been-musician blinked at me before smiling. He was carrying a large brown bag of groceries in one arm, and a plastic bag full in the other. He maneuvered his way around me into the kitchen, setting both bags down on the counter top. My heart returned to its normal rate as I watched him chat animatedly about his trip to the grocery store. "—And then there was this old man, and he was all like, 'Hey, sonny, why doncha reach up there on that high shelf and grab me them prunes?' And so I did, and I swear to god, it was like all the old people in the godamn store knew I was there! Cause then this old lady came up and was like, 'Say, you young'an, could you reach over there and get my dog… yes it's the stuffed one… she was alive in 1920. I named her Fifi.' Fifi. Good God, I feel bad for that dog—what kind of a fucking name is Fifi?! Then this old couple came up and was all like, 'Young man, could you grab that natural lubricant for me and my husband?' I did, but I was beyond grossed out, I tell you what! That's when I decided it was soooo time to go!" He finally stopped chattering, pulling a package of pudding from the brown bag. "So? What have you been up to?"

I shrugged. "I haven't been awake all that long. I mean, I saw your note, and--" I stopped, hearing Axel's footsteps through the front entry. He sauntered into the kitchen, snatching the pudding from Demyx's grasp—at which Demyx let out an indignant girlish cry—and tore one of the delectable desserts out of the packaging before placing the rest of it in the fridge. He eyed me for a moment, using his fingers to eat the chocolate-y substance as he walked into the living-room-area-thing. When I looked at Demyx, he was scowling at Axel, hands on his hips in the total "oh-no-you-didn't" stance. He stomped over and snatched the pudding back, starting a whispered argument between the two that I couldn't understand. Being thus, I turned away, digging into the bags, pulling out two cartons of milk, some yogurt, cheese and other items. I must have looked like a little kid—I'm short enough to pass for it, for god's sake. I then heard a loud smack, and turned quickly, my heart racing.

Demyx's hands were held into tight fists, shaking at his sides. Axel was rubbing his face, a growl reverberating in his throat. Demyx hissed something through tightly gritted teeth, and Axel stood quickly, knocking over the chair he'd been sitting in, and hissed something back, before shoving Demyx to the ground and stomping out, slamming the door as he left. The apartment was quiet, and the air seemed thick enough to cut with a knife. Demyx gathered himself up off the floor, mumbling every foul word he could think of. He walked back into my little kitchenette, throwing the partially eaten pudding roughly into the trash, making me flinch. He shooed me away from the bags, taking care of the groceries himself, grumbling darkly under his breath. I didn't dare say anything, afraid Demyx's obvious frustration would backlash at me. After a few minutes, he sighed. "I'm not going to direct my anger at you," he muttered, his brow furrowed. All the groceries put away, he threw the bags into the trash. He slumped onto the counter next to me, growling. "As someone whose been the victim of redirected anger, I wouldn't do that…" He ran a hand through his short tresses. "I just can't believe him! He told me he was done now…" He glanced at me. "He told me you saw him take a hit." I nodded and he sighed. "No wonder he's fucking pissed." He stood up, away from the counter. "He didn't want you to see that…"

"He likes me…" I whispered, more to myself. "…Doesn't he?" Demyx spun around to face me, cobalt orbs wide, and mouth slightly open. His mouth moved to ask me how I knew, and I stared at my feet. "I heard you guys talking before I fell asleep. I'm only making an assumption, but the look on your face says I'm right." Demyx closed his mouth, rubbing the back of his head. I sighed, and he stared at me. "I really don't know what to make of that."

Demyx kneeled to my level, ducking him down at least eight inches. "Do you like him back, Roxas?"

I looked Demyx straight in the eye. "I really don't know." I sighed, my back sliding down the cabinets, sitting on the floor. Demyx watched me for a moment, then left, clicking the door shut quietly. A few seconds later, I heard Demyx and Axel yelling next door. I felt kind of bad—I figured I was tearing the two friends apart. I scrambled up from the floor and went to my computer, putting on a set of head phones to listen to t.a.t.u. while I chatted online with people I didn't know, telling them the crappy things going on, and hoping to receive some pity. I went through the motions of telling my story to complete strangers for a few songs. With "Clowns(Can you see me Now)" blaring in my eardrums, I didn't hear the front door click open, and it wasn't until I felt a hand on my shoulder that I started, and tore my headphones off, turning quickly. Axel was staring down at me. I placed a hand on my chest, willing my heart to return to normal. "Don't scare me like that! You'll give me a pre-mature heart attack!"

He smiled softly, mussing my hair slightly. "Sorry. About everything." I blinked at him. "For threatening you earlier, stealing your pudding, and scaring you just now."

I crossed my ankles, leaning my head on my shoulder slightly. "It's okay…really." I twirled the cord of my head phones around my finger, watching the spiral that began to form. It's not a big deal. I'll get over it."

"Like you've gotten over Hayner?"

My eyes began to burn, but not with tears—with anger. I stood up, pulling my head phone jack out of its hold, sending "I'm Not Your First" pounding through the room. "Shut your fucking mouth!" I yelled, standing on my tiptoes with my fists clenched into tight balls at my side. "Just shut it! Hayner has nothing to do with any of this! So leave him out of it! I don't want to hear about him again—I'm done! I will get over him! _I WILL_!!!!" It was quiet between us then, save for "I'm Not Your First" playing in the background.

Axel held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry. My bad." He then set them down, seeing I wasn't about to pummel him into oblivion. "I won't bring it up again. IF—" Good god, a catch. There's ALWAYS a catch. "—you'll go on a date with me." I blinked at him, finding an odd request. "I know my timing is bad, and I know that you've just broken up with your other boyfriend, but I really want to give it a try." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "God, I haven't been on a date in years…"

I tapped my lip, thinking it over. If it meant he wouldn't bring up Hayner again, than it was totally worth it. However, I didn't want to use him either. But a date…I felt my heart palpitate with excitement. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I tucked my hands behind my back. "Alright then. I'll go on a date with you." His face lit up and I held up one finger. "On one condition." He blinked at me, and I sighed. "I know this is going to sound unreasonable, but I'll help you as I can. I want you to quit." His eyes widened, and I flushed slightly. "I mean, it's not like you mean anything to me, but it's unhealthy, and it can kill you, alright? I want to prevent that." I held out a hand. "Is it a deal?" He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away. "Don't shake unless you mean it."

Axel stared at me for a moment, before snagging me hand, smiling. "Deal." He released my hand, walking out of the room. "See you at six." I blinked, hearing my door click shut again, and I was alone. Then, for some unknown reason, I let out a girlish squeal of excitement. I than slammed myself into the computer chair, and told every one in the chat room what just transpired, "Malchik Gay" playing its happy little tune.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"_WHAT?! You're going on a date already?! YOU JUST BROKE UP WITH HAYNER YOU TWIT!!!"_

I sighed, holding my cell at least a foot away from my ear, where Olette was screaming about how immoral I was being by going on a date less than three days after the initial break up of me and the douche bag. When her screeching died down, I placed my ear tenderly on the ear piece, pulling on a pair of black converse. "Just chill, Olette. He promised he wouldn't bring up Hayner again."

"_Is that the only reason you're doing this? That's so shallow for you, Roxas."_

I sighed again, shaking my head as I stood up. "But I made him promise he'd quit…whatever the hell that powder was. So see, it's for the greater good."

Olette hummed softly in my ear. _"I suppose it's acceptable."_ Her mood lightened up a bit. _"So, where is he taking you?_"

"No clue. All the more reason for me to call you later."

"_You know Hayner's gonna throw a hissy fit._"

I glared at the phone's receiver. "Like I give a rat's ass!" I yelled. "He can choke on Seifer's cock for all I care! I hope he fucking dies! Lonely and forgotten in a dark alley where cats are eating his forgotten corpse! And then I hope those cats die from food poisoning, because Hayner is a worthless piece of shit, and I can't see why I even gave him a chance in the first place!"

Olette giggled. _"A bit angry, are we?"_

"Actually, more like royally pissed off, but yes, basically." I grumbled darkly under my breath, seeing the clock chime six. "I hope he chokes on his dinner."

"_Yes, well, at this point, we all do,"_ Olette muttered sympathetically. _"Pence ripped him a new one in class this afternoon. He's pissed."_

"Well, that makes two of us then…" I stopped, hearing a gentle rapping on the door. "Got to go Olette. I'll call you tomorrow." I shut my phone, slipping my Nobody's Rain jacket over a black t.a.t.u shirt that read "Universal Love". I opened the door and blinked in mild shock.

Axel was standing there; his usual black hoodie was replaced with a nice red polo, and his combat boots for black converse with red stitching. His normally out-of-control hair was tied in a low pony tail at the nape of his neck. He smiled softly, and held out a single red rose, with a white ribbon tied to the overly-long stem. "Are you ready?" he asked, chuckling softly at my expression: wide eyes and open mouth of shock! I nodded vaguely, taking the rose slowly. He smiled and pulled me into him, kissing my forehead and shutting my door. It caught me a bit off guard, as I stumbled into him and tripped as he walked over to the elevator. Once the doors opened and we stepped inside, he looked to me. "So. What are we doing?'

I blinked, semi-confused. "What, did you not have a plan?"

He shrugged slightly. "It's up to you."

I thought quietly, tapping my lip with my finger, letting out a small noise as the doors opened once more on the first floor. "Movie and ice cream!" He chuckled and I scowled. "What?"

He shook his head, a few stands of crimson locks slipping from their hold. "It's so simple."

"Well, I'm simple," I countered, following him to a nice, refurbished '67 Mustang. "And if you have a problem with that, I can turn around and leave, right now." I blinked, watching him open the passenger door.

"It's perfectly fine," he said, nodding me in, shutting the door behind me. Axel then climbed into the car and started the engine. "So, what movie would you like to see?"

I thought for a minute, before smirking. I had the best idea of what I wanted to see. "Good Luck Chuck."

**XxXxXxXxX**

It was a mad dash and scramble for the soda and sweets to arrive at the movie on time. We arrived in the theatre at the end of the previews—which is totally the best part of the movies, according to Axel—and managed to get the best seats ever, which wasn't that hard in an empty theatre. "I don't know why the theatre is empty," I commented, sitting beside Axel, who placed his feet on the back of the seat in front of him, knawing on a Twizzler.

"Everyone's probably already seen it," the red head muttered. "For god sakes, it's Dane Cook. I'm surprised you haven't seen it yet."

I shrugged, realizing he was right. I then glared at his feet. "Get your feet off the seat. That's rude."

He waved his arms around the theatre. "I don't think anyone's going to care."

I glanced around the empty room, shrugged, and placing my feet on the seat in front of me. "Good point." Axel started laughing and I raise a brow at him. "What?"

"I'm such a bad influence," he hissed, chewing on the Twizzler. He laughed again as I rolled my eyes, and we continued watching the movie. As we had expected, the comedy was the traditional Dane Cook style—sexual. I for one could have done without the ten minute montages of sex, but what can you do? It went pretty good, until Dane's on-screen love interest, Jessica Alba, was going to Antarctica. That's when Axel stood up and started screaming at the screen. "THAT'S SO NOT FAIR!"

"Axel!" I hissed. "Sit down!"

He stared at me incredulously. "SHE'S LEAVING WITH A PENGIUN KING!" He sat down in a huff. "I'm not watching anymore." He then smirked. "Besides, running around is much more fun!" Axel then got up again and ran down the stairs to the stage. I, being the good date I was, followed suit. He jumped up onto the stage in a fluid movement that spoke of previous experience, and pulled me up after him, Dane Cook and Jessica Alba's images dancing on our faces.

I glanced up at the light of the projector, covering my eyes with my arm. "This _can't_ be good for your eyes." I sat next to Axel, who laughed.

"I never said it was."

I looked at him. "Why are we up here? Didn't we come to watch the movie?" I craned my neck to watch the screen.

The red head shrugged. "I thought it was getting boring when Jessica Alba was discovered as his 'one true love'." He snorted. "Love stories suck ass."

I shrugged, continuing to shield my eyes from the glare. "Then why did you agree to see the movie?!"

"It's Dane Cook!"

I shrugged at fell silent—I couldn't argue with that. Dane Cook was the master of comedy—well, one of them. I kicked my feet, feeling a bit childish. "So? Where are we going for ice cream?"

"Where ever you want," Axel replied, moving my arm and blocking the light with his own. I blinked, my eyes locking with his. I felt my heart begin to palpitate against my ribs, and the blood rushed to my cheeks. The moment was ruined however, by an anti-climactic, sloppy kiss by the leads. "Lame," Axel hissed, slipping off the stage. He then turned and helped me down, holding my waist in his shockingly strong hands, only letting me go when my feet touched firmly to the ground. He then took my small hand in his own slender one. "C'mon, ice cream awaits." I followed after his gentle tug on my arm, nodding slightly as the credits started rolling on the screen.

**XxXxXxXxX**

We stopped at a small mom-and-pop ice cream shop on Pleasant Avenue. It was, for the majority, empty. I glanced around as we got out of the mustang, curious. I hadn't really known this place existed, and apparently, neither did anyone else. "Don't worry," Axel told me, opening the door. "This place is good. I know the owners." I didn't see any reason to doubt him. I slipped in, looking over the small range of flavors while Axel spoke to an older woman. There couldn't have been more than ten flavors of the dairy sweet, and I was almost put out—well, until I caught a glimpse of a pale blue creamy delight in the corner. My cobalt irises lit up, and I know a grin spread on my face, bigger than the smile on a kid's face on Christmas. I heard Axel laugh and I turned to face him; he and the elderly woman were watching me, and I fidgeted uncomfortably. He let out a small chuckle and walked over to me, hands in his pocket. "Find something?" I pointed childishly at the azure substance. "…Sea Salt…" He read, a grin breaking across his face. He looked back at the woman. "One Sea Salt, Hikaru." The old woman nodded, and started scooping the ice cream.

I glanced at Axel. "Don't you want anything?"

He shook his head. "Nah. If I want any, I'll steal it from you." I guess I gave him an indignant look, because he laughed. He then handed me the cone of Sea Salt ice cream, paying the woman. We then walked out of the shop, me throwing a quiet, "thank you," over my shoulder. We sat at the only table out side, watching the sky turn a crimson orange in the sunset. I licked at the cone quietly, watching the sunset. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Axel muttered, watching it as well. I nodded. He smiled. "I have yet to find a better spot than this for watching the sunset." He then looked at me, his eyes lighting up. "All though I think I've found something more enjoyable to watch."

I blinked, totally unaware of the ice cream dripping down the cone, as well as my face. "Huh?"

Axel chuckled again, wiping my face with a random napkin he was holding hostage. "I have this adorable blond sitting beside me, licking an ice cream cone and making a complete mess of himself." He stole the cone and licked the excess ice cream off the waffle. "It's quite enjoyable, actually."

I flushed, scowling slightly. Cursed Ice cream! Only then do I make a fool of myself, making a huge mess. But I couldn't help myself! It was just so good! I huffed, snatching my yummy treat back. "Glad I could be your entertainment," I growled, licking the delicacy once more—this time, I kept track of any drips. AND HE JUST KEPT STARING AT ME!!!! After a few more minutes of that, I turned my back to him, hiding the blush that was steadily growing brighter. It was kind of embarrassing. I ended up finishing up the cone quickly, throwing my hand out for the napkin and wiping my face before turning back around to his annoying Cheshire cat grin. "Well, the date's over," I announced to no one in particular. "And now I want to go home."

Axel pouted ever so slightly. "Too bad really. I was having fun."

I fidgeted. I had to agree—even if it was relatively short and plain, it was kind of fun. It was new to me—I was used to going to dance clubs or hanging out in my apartment. "Okay, you're right." I stood up from the chair. "But we agreed—a movie and ice cream. So now it's over."

"Even so," Axel muttered, glancing to his watch as he stood. "Damn. I have work in an hour anyway." He smiled, holding a hand out. "C'mon. Let's get you home." I nodded and took his hand, letting him lead me back to the Mustang.

The drive back to the apartment was quiet, save for me pressing buttons on the radio, trying to find something remotely interesting to listen to. I eventually gave up, huffing as we turned into the complex parking lot. Once we parked, I started waiting for Axel to stop the car. When he didn't I glanced at him. "What? Are you not going inside?"

"No time," he replied, tapping his watch face. He smiled at the pout I didn't realize I made. "What? You want me to?"

"No," I huffed, undoing my seatbelt. "I don't really care either way." I jerked the door open. "Thanks, Axel, it was fun--" I stopped, feeling his hand on my jaw. He turned me to face him, pressing his mouth against mine. A burning sensation shot down my spine, and my cheeks began to burn with the rush of blood. He then pulled away, and it was over as quickly as it began. Quietly, I stepped out of the Mustang, and watched my date drive off, waving ever so slightly. Once he was out of sight, I touched my lips with the tips of my fingers—they still tingled, yearning for that contact once more. I turned on my heel, stalking to the elevator. It was incredible. A single, brief touch, did this? I had never felt a charge like that in my life. I reached my floor and shuffled to my room—it was barely seven o clock. I glanced around my empty apartment, and felt a strange feeling of loss. I sighed; ah well, it was only a date, what was I expecting? I trucked into the kitchen, snatched a pudding from the fridge, and sat on the floor to enjoy my chocolate-y escape.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

" _Well, it must have been some date if you're calling me the morning-after!_" Olette joked. "_Tell me everything!_"

I blinked, jerking myself out of my stupor. I was sitting upside-down in my favorite chair—my feet kicked the air, and my after-sex hair looked like fluffy blond mass—and had Olette on speakerphone. I once again stared across the room at my seemingly upside-down stereo, pulling my red Chinese-style tank top back over my bare stomach. "It wasn't all the extravagant," I muttered quietly, fingering the ivory ribbon hanging from the now-vased rose. "Exceedingly simple, really."

Olette giggled. "_Even better! Give me the details, Roxie!"_

I sighed. "well, we went to a movie--"

"_What movie?"_

I scowled. "good Luck Chuck. What's it to you?"

I heard a disapproving noise. _"Who picked that?"_

"I did." The line fell silent. "After that, we went for ice cream--"

"_Ooo! Where?"_

"This little shop on Pleasant I've never noticed. Now will you stop interrupting me?"

"_Oops. Heh-heh. Sorry Roxas…"_

I shook my head. "And that was basically it. We watched the sun set while I ate Ice cream, and he brought me home. I was home by seven." I gave an awkward shrug. "Simple and clean."

I heard Olette coo. _"Sounds so sweet! A movie, and ice cream while watching the sunset."_ She gave a fangirl-ish sigh. _"so romantic."_ She then got serious again. _"Now for the million dollar question, Roxas. Are you ready?"_ Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I hummed a soft, "mm hm…" to her. I could almost see a devilish grin on Olette's face. _"when he dropped you off…did you kiss?"_ My eyes grew wide, and my throat got tight. Olette squealed at my silence. _"YOU DID!!!! YOU KISSED!!!! Omigod, no way! Was it a peck or something more?"_

I sat up-right, ignoring the sudden spinning sensation, and burying my flushed cheeks in my legs. "It was…more than a peck…but not like a make-out kiss, you know…?"

"_Like a long peck on the lips?"_

"I guess…"

Olette squealed excitedly. _"That's so cute! How was it?"_

I fingered at my lips. They still burned a bit. "It was…" I fell silent, thinking it over. It was different than I had expected. There was defiantly chemistry there. And that spark…

I heard a small, "ooooooh," from Olette. _"You've got it baaaaaad, Roxie."_

I blinked furiously. "What? Got what?"

She giggled. _"Love. Puppy love, Roxie-honey. And you've got it bad."_

I fidgeted uncomfortably. Did I like Axel? That kiss sure supported Olette's accusation, but I couldn't say honestly that I did. Or that I didn't. "P-puppy love," I muttered, fighting a smile. "Puh-leeze, Olette. I don't think so. I couldn't _possibly_ love Axel. Not if he was the last person on Earth."

"_You say that now, but I guarantee that if he were to ask you out again, you'd say yes faster than you can type. And that's pretty fast. And you'd do it again, and again. Trust me, Roxas, you've got a bad case of puppy love."_

I snorted. "Whatever you say, Olette. Whatever you say." I glanced at the clock: 11:50AM. I then sighed. Axel had left me a text this morning saying that he would be home around noon, and I was starting to miss him. Maybe Olette was right. I had a _**BAD**_ case of puppy love. "Don't you have something you need to do, Olette?"

"_GAH! MY PIE!"_ There was a loud click as Olette slammed the phone on the receiver. I smiled. I knew Olette forgot about the pie she was making. I also knew I'd receive a text from her, saying she burned it. I giggled. Olette's cooking misfortune always made my day. I managed to unfold myself out of the chair, and padded almost cat-like down the hall to the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror, playing with a few strands of hair. _Maybe a hair cut is in order_. I turned, looking at the back. _Then again, it's already short._ I sighed, pouting at my reflection, chin in my hands. _I need a life._ I went back to wrapping locks of hair around my finger, making the strands flip curiously. I turned from the mirror in a huff, my lower back pressing almost painfully against the countertop. I moaned, glancing at the clock again: 11:57AM. It was so close to noon…I sat on the toilet lid, staring at my sapphire orbs. I smiled; they were my best feature. I used my finger to trace my reflection, going over the soft curves in my face, my button nose, my lips—I stopped. Staring at my reflection, my finger tapped my mimicked lips once. Twice. I scowled slightly, then tapped my actual lips once. Twice. I jumped, hearing a sudden knock on my door. I stood up, darting out of the bathroom, tripping on the rug, and slamming my foot on the coffee table leg as I made way to the door. I tore the door open, ignoring the pounding pain shooting from my foot and up my leg.

Axel was fighting back a chuckle, but even so, a smile fought its way to his face, and succeeded. I blinked, realizing how ridiculous I must look, and blushed, helping Axel's laugh beat his defenses; he promptly covered his mouth with his hand. Once he had recovered himself, he tucked his hands into the pockets of his obsidian jeans. "Aren't we excitable this morning?" he muttered, raising a crimson brow. He shook his head. "Can I come in?"

I looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded, moving aside to let him pass. I was amazed—after seeing him in neat clothes last night…he was just in his normal hoodie and jeans now. As though it had never happened. I watched him sit on my favorite chair, then I walked into the kitchenette. "Do you want anything to drink?" I asked, trying to make a good host.

"Nah, I just came to talk."

I blinked, walking over and sitting at his feet. "Talk? About what?"

"Last night." He grinned in slight amusement as my face turned the shade of a tomato. "Did you have fun?"

I nodded feverishly. "Yes! It was nice. I loved it." I smiled. "Best date I've ever been on, actually."

He chuckled. "You're into the simple things, aren't you?" At my nod, he smirked. "So, what was your favorite part?"

"All of it," I replied childishly, earning a smile. I was leaning forward on my knees slightly.

"How would you like to go again?"

"YES!" I slammed my hand over my mouth, my eyes wide. _DAMN! I hate it when Olette's right!_

Axel smirked, leaning his head on his hand. "Really? Was that the wrong answer, Roxie-Babie?" I shook my head, and he leaned forward a bit. "You want to go out again?" I removed my hand slowly, smiling softly at the delicate shade of pink painting my cheeks.

I took a breath before nodding. "Yes. I would like that."

"Somehow," Axel muttered. "I knew you would." Then, somehow, I found myself in the exact same position as last night. My eyes were wide, and my complexion darkened as his lips pressed against mine. The friction sent tremors down my spine, and a warmth hit my stomach, spreading through my body. My eyes slid closed, and I felt Axel's hand work its way through my hair, holding me there. I felt his tongue graze my bottom lip, and I hesitated. This was enough to make him pull back, our lips parting with a soft sound, and a disappointed noise escaping me. The red head smirked. "Maybe next time, babe."

"When will be next time?" I asked, my mind finally crashing back to Earth.

"Tonight. We're going on a double date to the roller rink at six."

I paled. "I have work."

"I'll pick you up. Tell your boss you have a previous engagement." He pecked my forehead before standing up. "See you tonight."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Thank you so much Aerith!"

My boss smiled sheepishly. "It's really not a problem. After all, I didn't want you working for a while after the other day, but--"

"Oh, yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I'll pay for any damages--"

Aerith laughed. "That's not necessary, Roxas, dear. That other boy replaced everything already and apologized for the disturbance."

I blinked. "The other boy? Who?"

The young woman's beautiful emerald eyes saddened slightly. "Hayner, dear. He came in last night and replaced everything. He said it was his fault and that he would make amends." She sighed, tapping her chin. "I know what he did wasn't exactly justified, but still…and he seemed like such a nice boy."

I huffed, yanking off my apron; I had been working in the back today. "He seemed like such a nice boy," I mimicked bitterly. "Yeah, that's what we all thought. And boy, were we wrong." I threw the apron down, hearing the bell jingle merrily. I walked over to a smiling Axel, who was still dressed in his hoodie and jeans. I bowed quickly to Aerith. "Thank you!" I followed Axel to his car, and noticed a bag in the back seat. "What's that?"

"Clothes," he answered simply, starting the engine. "For you to change into." He nodded to the backseat. "Change back there." I stared incredulously at him as he shifted into gear, but did as I was told.

I traded my work shirt for a black Arashi tee, and my slacks for my what I call slide-on-slide-off pants. Once I got myself untangled from the mass of clothes, I climbed back to the front and fastened my seatbelt. "You're crazy," I muttered.

"You're crazier for actually doing it," Axel countered, fighting back a grin that was starting to show.

I scowled, crossing my arms. "Ha-ha, very funny." Hearing nothing interesting on the radio(nothing but fuzz, anyway), I started a conversation. "So, who are we double dating with?"

"Demyx and Zexion."

I blinked. "Who's Zexion?"

Axel sighed. "The poster child for the Emo stereo-type."

"Was he at your apartment at the last party I broke up?"

The red head blinked. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I think he answered the door." I shrugged. "I could be wrong."

Axel shrugged, pulling into the Roller King parking lot. "We'll see in a minute here." He pointed up at the front, where Demyx and a shorter individual were standing against the building, waiting for us as we pulled into a parking spot. As the engine died, Axel gave me a quick peck on the cheek before we clamored out of the vehicle. "Hey midget!" Axel yelled, walking a head of me to the two others. I hesitated before running after, catching Axel's arm nervously.

Demyx placed his hands on his hips, frowning at Axel. "You're late!" He yelled. "Zexi and I have been waiting for ten minutes."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Ten whole fucking minutes. How sad. I had to pick Roxas up from work, so sorry."

Demyx looked down at me, and smiled. "Hiya Roxie! How are you?" I mumbled incoherently, making Axel and Demyx laugh. The third, Zexion, just watched me with mild interest. Sure enough, he was the guy who had answered the door at the last party the roomies had. "Well, c'mon!" Demyx announced, dragging Zexion to the front doors.

Axel and I followed silently behind them. We paid our fare and for our skates, finding a table to sit at for a moment. I looked at Axel, who was lacing up his skates. "Um, Axel?" He glanced at me. "Is now a bad time to tell you I don't know how to skate?"

Axel gapped at me, and Demyx started cooing over how cute it was going to be to watch Axel teach me to skate. He than smiled, leaning in front of me and sliding my feet out of my shoes. "Alright, I'll help you."

I giggled, his fingers tickling my feet as he tried to put the skates on. "N-no, it's okay. I'll j-just stay up h-here and watch! Axel, s-stop! That tickles!" He finally succeeded in getting the skates on my feet, and started tying them tightly. "Really, Axel, it's fine."

He leaned up to me. "But if you're up here, and I'm down there, it's not really a date, is it?"

I smiled softly. "No…I guess it's not." I sighed, letting him pull me up, ignoring the fangirl-ish scream from Demyx behind me. "Alright, Axel. Teach me how to skate." Kids, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: If you are a klutz or danger magnet of any kind---DO NOT SKATE! This little excursion was chaotic and I could really have done without it. I had bruises in places I didn't know I could bruise, and by the end of the night, I was so sore I was surprised I could get in Axel's car without pain. The best part, however, was when I "accidentally" pulled Axel down on top of me when I slipped. Hee-hee. That was fun.

Anyway, by nine, we were leaving the ring, Axel carrying me bridal style because I had somehow managed to twist my ankle taking the skates off. He placed me in my seat, helped me with my seat belt—which I could have done for myself—and slid into his seat. "I'm really sorry, Roxas," he muttered. It was a sincere apology, and it made me hate myself for being such a klutz. "I knew this was a bad idea. But I haven't been skating in so long, I just-" He sighed, revving the engine before squealing out of the parking lot, honking his horn loudly at Demyx and Zexion as we passed. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

I shook my head, wincing slightly as I rotated my right ankle. "Nah. It was still fun," I smiled. "Even if I did get hurt, it was great."

He smiled softly, ruffling my hair with one hand. "You're so easy going…It's so cute." He laughed at my blush. "What, are you not used to being called cute?"

I shook my head, smiling faintly. "No. Not since I was little and living with my parents." He was staring at me in disbelief. "I've never really been thought of as cute, sorry." We stopped at a red light, and I turned to Axel. "So, you think I'm cute?"

He smiled, kissing me tenderly. "Beyond cute." He turned back to road just as the light changed. "You're different from others I have dated. You're simple. You like the simple things in life. Most people want to go clubbing or dancing, or something that involves a lot of action. But you're happy just eating ice cream." He chuckled to himself. "It's cute."

I smiled, enjoying the praise. "Well, I wasn't raised with a silver spoon in my mouth," I muttered. "I was taught to enjoy the simple pleasures in life."

Axel nodded thoughtfully, pulling into the apartment parking lot. "It's a good thing to follow. Then you're not disappointed when the extravagant things fail you." He cut the engine, clamoring to the other side of the car to help me out. I winced as I stepped down on my hurt ankle, attempting to ignore the searing pain. "You can't walk on it, can you?" I shook my head, and, in one fluid movement, the red head scooped me up in his arms—despite my argument—and carried me to the elevator and to my apartment, where he set me on the couch. "We need to put some ice on that…" He muttered, walking to my freezer.

I pouted; this was not going as I had planned. "Axel," I muttered. "I'll be fine. I don't need ice!" I yelped as the cold substance touched my ankle, yet the pain slowly started to subside. "Oh…well, maybe I do…" Axel laughed, and was careful to prop my leg on one end of the couch, before sitting on the other end and lying my head in his lap. "Really, Axel, is this necessary?"

Axel smiled, threading his fingers through my hair calmly. "Is it not to your liking?"

I pouted. "That's not what I meant, you jerk. I meant that you don't need to baby me."

He kissed my forehead. "But I like to baby you, Roxie-babie. It's so easy to do…"

I sighed, sitting up. "Honestly, I don't need to be babied." I looked at him calmly, and moved the ice pack onto the coffee table before sitting cross-legged on the couch. "See? This happens so often that I'm used to it, and I know how to maneuver myself."

Axel raised a brow, smirking slightly. "Really now?" He leaned forward, and I could feel his breath on my cheek. "Can you maneuver?"

My breath caught in my throat, and I stopped thinking. Instead of thinking logically and leaning away like the good little boy I should have been, I slammed my mouth against his, wrapping my arms around his neck to hold us together. I felt Axel smile faintly, his hands unfolding my legs, and pulling my right behind him and out of the way. My other leg automatically wrapped around his hips, my body moving onto his lap. Our mouths parted briefly, and Axel captured my mouth in his, pulling my head forward with his hand. His tongue caressed my lips, and I opened with a moan, shivering as his tongue wrapped around mine.

He then retracted. "Hold that thought," he whispered, picking me up and carrying me into my bedroom. He lied me on the bed, straddling over me with fluid ease that told of previous experience. He smiled down at me softly, emerald irises filled with uncertainty. "Are you sure this is what you want?" I nodded breathlessly—remember kiddies, I wasn't exactly thinking with my head, if you know what I mean. Nodding, he kissed below my earlobe, making me shiver slightly. His fingers massaged at my hips, and I gave a breathy sigh in response. It wasn't the first time I'd ever done this, but this felt so much different than the times before. He stopped, pulling off his hoodie and underlying shirt—white tee, I noticed—And helped me with my shirt, pulling it over my head and capturing my lips again in one swift movement. Axel's hands ran down my chest, leaving burning trails despite the cold temperature his hands had taken. I moaned, shivering again, relishing in the dull taste of saliva. Axel's mouth left mine, and found itself a perfect spot under my chin, where he nipped at my ivory skin, turning it a delicate pink. My breathing grew ragged, a sensation shooting up my body in waves of pleasure. A familiar warmth began coursing through my body, and I groaned as I felt Axel's fridged hand reach into my pants.

**XxXxXxXxX**

_**KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!**_

I sat bolt upright, eyes wide as I looked around the room. My alarm clock read 9:50 AM. In the back of my mind, I started to wonder if I had imagined the sound that had shook me from my ever-so-wonderful slumber.

_**KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!**_

Nope, I'm not that lucky. I sighed, scratching the back of my head, blinking in confusion when I noticed my shirt on the floor. "What the-?" I muttered quietly. I heard a mumble and looked to my right, where Axel was laying, fast asleep and shirtless. And then—

BAM! All of the last night's events hit me like a ton of bricks. My face turned an unknown shade of red, and my heart began palpitating furiously. _WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?_

_**KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!**_

I groaned, throwing the covers off my legs, to find my self completely naked, which flustered me even more. I snatched my pants off the floor, sliding them on before I padded down the hall, wincing in pain at my ankle, which had swollen twice its normal size. With a sigh, I opened my door.

Let me tell you how awkward it is to wake up to your ex knocking on your door, and you have just shagged your neighbor the night before, and your ex knows because you have the obvious evidence of a sex coma written all over your face. Hayner was staring at me, blinking curiously at the fact that I was running around my apartment shirtless. I cleared my throat, try to ignore the awkwardness of the entire situation. "Can I help you, Hayner?" I asked, flinching as my voice cracked. I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame.

It was Hayner's turn to clear his throat. I had to fight back a smile, seeing how awkward he was. It kind of made my morning. "Uh…Is this a bad time?"

I swallowed a giggle bubbling in my throat. "Yes and no. Yes because I'm having a sex coma and was sleeping, and no because I'm not doing anything. Or anyone, for that matter."

Hayner snorted, suppressing a fit of giggles. "Can we…talk?" He sounded sincere enough, so I nodded. I followed him into the hall, shutting the door enough for a crack. He sighed, running a hand through his hair furiously. "Look, I…"

"If this is about what happened at Aerythum's," I interrupted, "Don't bother apologizing." He blinked Auburn orbs at me. "While I am mad at you for lying to me for a little over a month, my reaction was a bit much."

"You think?" Hayner muttered sarcastically.

"Shut your mouth," I hissed. "You have no idea what kind of bullshit I've been going through for you. And than I suddenly find out you had been lying to me for a month? If it were you, you probably would have beat me into oblivion, so I think my response was pretty damn mild." I poked him furiously in the chest, satisfied with the small "ow" I heard. "I'm sorry for attacking you, but I think you deserved it." I crossed my arms again.

Seeing I was done with my tirade, Hayner sighed. "Can I talk now?" I nodded. "I wanted to apologize for lying to you." I blinked curiously. "I know what I did was wrong. And believe me, I'm in a world of hurt with Kairi and Pence right now. I just kind of hope we can put this behind us, and--"

"What, be friends again?"

"Well…yeah."

I snorted. "Are you serious? No way. Our friendship was hell. I'm not subjecting myself to that again." I sighed, fighting a smile that blossomed at Hayner's shocked look. "I'm done with you Hayner. We are not but acquaintances, now."

I turned to go back in the apartment, when he grabbed my shoulder and spun me back around. "This isn't over," he hissed. He then shoved me into my door, stomping off, cursing under his breath.

I stared after him for a moment before shaking my head and walking inside to find Axel making coffee in nothing but jeans. He turned to me, grinning sheepishly. "…Morning?"

I collapsed on the couch, curling into a childish ball despite the pain in my ankle. "Okay, tell me something. Was I drunk off my ass last night? Did we really do what I think we did? Was it rape? What the hell is wrong with me?"

Axel handed me a cup of coffee, sitting beside me. "In order of your questions: no, yes, no, and I don't know." He sipped at his mug of coffee. "I asked you if it was what you wanted, and you said yes."

I scowled, rapping my head with my fist. "I'm going to be honest, but I don't think I was thinking at the time."

"I didn't think so."

"I just can't believe I…" I stopped, my eyes wide. I looked at him. "Did you…?" I gestured to his crotch, than to my ass. And he laughed at me. "What?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't. By the time I thought about it, you were already a moaning heap in my arms, and I was tired myself." He laughed as I sighed in relief.

"Still…" I turned to him, setting my coffee on the table. "You're not diseased, are you?"

"Not last time I checked."

"When was that?"

"Two days ago.." I stared at him as he smiled. "I had a feeling it would come to this. I wanted to be safe. If things had come back negative…" He shook his head.

I sighed, sinking back into my seat. "Well, I feel a bit better than…still, I think it was wrong…"

"Why?"

I stared incredulously at his genuinely confused face. "This was only our second date! Shouldn't it be, like, the fifth or something before you have sex?!"

He cocked his brow at me. "This coming from the one who came onto me…"

I blushed, crossing my arms and turning away from him. "But you could have done the adult thing and said no."

I felt Axel's arm snake around my neck, and he leaned into me. "Could have. But I didn't. And you can't tell me you regret it."

I scowled. I wanted so badly to prove him wrong. But that wasn't going to happen. I huffed, standing up, ignoring the throbbing protest from my ankle. "Damn it, I hate it when you semes are right." I was about to continue when there was another knock at the door. I blinked at Axel, who shrugged, and answered it, yelping. "PENCE?! OLETTE?!"

Olette giggled, all smiles. "Good Morning Roxas. Did you forget we were coming over?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Olette called you last night asking if you wanted to go out to breakfast with us, and you agreed, remember?" Pence replied.

I stared for a minute. "…What time was this?"

Olette looked at Pence. "What, 10? 10:30?"

I paled and glanced at Axel, who was fighting back a laugh. "Uh…whatever, fine, come in for a minute while I get ready." I ushered them in, and Olette noticed Axel sitting on the couch. Being that she had been a best friend with gay's for years, she put two and two together and screamed. I clapped a hand over her mouth and drug her into my room, slamming my door. "SHUT UP OLETTE!"

"Omigawd, Roxas, you didn't?!"

I pressed a finger to her lips. "Shut up Olette! Yes, we had sex last night. No, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Yes, it was excellent. Does that answer all your questions?"

"All but one," Olette whispered. "Does Hayner know?"

"That I've had sex?" At her nod, I scoffed. "Sadly, yes. He came by earlier to 'talk' to me. Unfortunately, he knows the look of a sex coma." I paced to my dresser, pulling out a pair of blue jeans. "I have no idea why the hell I did it, Olette. And he says I came on to him, which isn't a lie." I traded my slide-on-slide-off pants for the jeans. "Olette, did you feel this awkward the first time you and Pence…?"

Olette tapped her chin thoughtfully, pulling a black hooded shirt that read "Revolution" in white from my closet. "You know, I did." She handed me the shirt. "It's a phase, Roxie-honey. It'll pass."

I pulled the shirt over my head. "But Olette, it's only a second date!" I began to panic a bit. "What do I do? I can't just act like it never happened!"

"No, you can't. But ask yourself something Roxas: Do you regret it? Do you want to do it again? Does it mean something to you? All these things you have to consider." She smiled. "Besides, it's not like you just lost your virginity. You lost that to Hayner years ago."

There was a gentle knock on my door, and Axel popped his head in the room, grinning sheepishly. "Can I come in? I need to grab my shirt."

Olette smiled. "Axel, wasn't it?" He nodded. "Why don't you join us for breakfast?"

I blinked, as did Axel, at Olette's invitation. "Are you sure?" we asked in unison, making Olette giggle.

"Positive." She patted my arm, smiled at Axel and left the room.

I looked at Axel I a slight panic. "Did she call last night?"

Axel shrugged, replacing his hoodie. "Someone called, and you managed to keep your moans to a minimum." I groaned. "Did you tell her?"

"no, she just knew." I buried my head in my hands. "Whatever. Let's just go eat breakfast." I looked around. "…Where's my phone?"

"Only one way to find out." Axel whipped out his phone, dialing my number with speed that was a little eerie. We waited and listened…and listened…and I jumped as I felt my foot vibrate. I moved my pant leg, only to have my phone fall out of my pants. "Well," the red head muttered passed a chuckle. "That's one way to keep your phone on your person."

**XxXxXxXxX**

"So!" Olette placed her cup of Hot Chocolate on the table, ignoring Pence's fidgeting and silent prayers of, "Don't ask about the gay relationship…" She glanced between Axel and I, eyeing each of us in turn. "I heard you've taken our little Roxie out on two dates so far." Pence groaned slightly, trying not to slam his head into the table.

I scowled across the table at Olette. "I don't care if you interrogate him, but could you please stop acting like my mother?" I drank my coffee, glaring as Olette rolled her eyes.

She smiled at Axel. "You don't think I'm being snoopy, do you?" She asked.

Axel looked thoughtful, ignoring mine and Pence's furious nods. "No. Not really. I'm really open to answering anything." He smirked. "Why?" He placed his chin on his hands. "You have sex questions to ask me?"

Olette blushed. "Well…sort of…"

"NOT AT THE TABLE!" Pence and I yelled. "We're going to be eating soon!" I hissed, glaring at Axel for provoking the situation. "As much as I don't care what you talk about, we're not talking about this at breakfast, and have either of you noticed that WE ARE IN PUBLIC?!" Axel and Olette stared at their laps, slightly nervous. "You guys can talk about it some other time. Preferably when neither me or Pence are around." I scowled at both of them in turn. "Do I make myself clear?" Both of them nodded, and I smiled as our food came to our table.

As the waiter left, Axel leaned into me with a smirk. "My, my, Roxie. After last night, I would never have thought you could be so demanding." He chuckled in my ear as I began to twitch. "That's a turn on…"

_**KA-PWN!**_

Olette yelped at Axel's twitchy-ish body lying in the restaurant walkway, while I shoveled my scrambled eggs in my mouth, a vain pulsing in my forehead. Pence said a little prayer for Axel as Olette giggled nervously at the stares other customers were giving us. Axel clamored back up to the table sporting a bloody nose. "Dare to hit on me again?" I asked. Axel shook his head. "Smart."

Olette giggled. "Well, I know you're new at this Axel, but never pick on, tease, or anything of the like Roxas before noon."

"Sometimes later," Pence agreed.

"He's not much of a morning person."

Axel scowled, massaging tenderly at the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. I could tell." The rest of breakfast was silent. We went on eating, and once we had finished, we took turns going to the bathroom. I was first. I didn't really have to go, but I wanted to splash water on my face. Through most of breakfast, I hadn't really been feeling all that well, and I figured a splash of cool water would make me feel better. Opening the door, I paced to the sink, turning on the cold water. I let the liquid fill the porcelain basin, sighing in a fit of exhaustion. I ran my hand under the water, relishing the cool temperature before dabbing my now cool and damp hand on my face and neck. I sighed--it felt good. I heard the door open, but thought nothing of it; I felt a warm body press up against me. "You all right?" Axel's voice echoed off the walls, his breath caressing my ear. I nodded faintly. His arms wrapped around my waist, locking me in place, pressing my hips against the marble countertop.

"I'm hot," I whispered, my eyes closed. I felt Axel's hands tug at my shirt hem. I swallowed, feeling my temperature rise. I felt Axel nip at my ear lobe—I bucked slightly, a moan bubbling in my throat.

Axel chuckled. "You want it, don't you? Let's get back to the apartment…"

I shook my head, untangling myself from Axel's grasp. I slipped away from the counter, slamming against the wall, shaking my head. "No…no, Axel. Just…just take me home."

Axel stared at me for a moment. "…Roxie?" He took a step toward me. "You okay?"

I was going to nod—I wanted to nod—but I felt an over whelming wave of nausea. I tasted the acid in my throat; I clapped my hand over my mouth, spinning around and kneeling over the porcelain rim of the toilet bowl in a fluid movement. I couldn't help but think, _so much for breakfast_. I coughed, my body going ridged with every heave as my body tried to rid itself of whatever toxin had hit its system. Gasping for air, I felt Axel's hand on my back, stroking it gently. "Go tell Olette…I'll be here for a while…" I felt another wave hit me, loosing my food. I heard Axel leave, and I sat numbly, my head hanging on the toilet bowl. I hadn't felt this sick in a long time. After a few minutes, and a few more heaves, I heard Axel come in.

"Roxas, do you think I can help you to the car to get you home?" I struggled to stand, nodding slowly. As Axel helped me wash my hands and face, I noticed how cold and clammy I was. I looked at myself in the mirror—a ghost. I let Axel lead me to his car, and the drive was quiet, save for Axel talking on his cell to Demyx, telling him to get my apartment ready. He carried me up to my apartment and, with help from a waiting Demyx, got me tucked into bed. I felt a damp cloth on my forehead, and I had to suppress a moan—it was cool and felt just oh so good… "Roxas?" I looked up at Axel. "Are you going to be okay while Demyx and I go shopping for medicine and Soup and stuff?" I nodded vaguely. "You going to take a nap?" I nodded again, sighing. I heard my door click shut. I only had one thought as I fell asleep: _This sucks ass._

**XxXxXxXxX**

I apparently slept for a few hours or so, because when I woke up, it had to have been late afternoon. During my entire nap, I hadn't gotten up with the heaves, which was a first on my part. But now, I felt them coming on. I laid still, praying that maybe my body would think I was still sleeping. When I heard a sickening gargle in my stomach, I knew that ploy didn't work. I groaned, rolling out of bed. Despite how crappy I felt, I was hungry; I needed something, anything. I cracked my door open, and spotted Axel and Demyx sitting in my kitchenette, playing a game of cards. I felt kind of bad; it was my apartment, and I was raised to be a good host, but here were my neighbors, taking care of me. _Mom would be sooo proud…_I thought bitterly. I sighed, irritated at myself and this random bout of the stomach flu, and walked out into the walkway, stretching. Axel happened to look up and see me. He smiled sympathetically, standing from his hand of cards and walking to me. "Feeling any better?" he asked, kissing my head lightly. Demyx turned in his seat to look at me.

I grunted. "Not particularly…" I muttered. I let Axel lead me into the kitchenette, sitting me in one of the chairs. "I'm sad to say that I'm hungry."

Both Axel and Demyx chuckled. "That's to be expected," Axel sniggered. "You did lose your breakfast, after all."

"Don't remind me," I moaned, laying my head on the table.

Demyx raised his hand like an elementary School student. "As someone who is prone to getting sick, my only advice is sleep, sleep, and more sleep."

I smiled slightly at Demyx's advice. "I like sleep…Sleep is good…" At this, I yawned. Fear suddenly hit me, and I sat up, my eyes wide. "What time is it?"

Axel blinked curiously before looking down at his watch. "…two fifteen…why?"

I stood up in a panic, running into the bathroom and brushing my hair, muttering, "Oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot-oh-shoot!" I threw on a jacket and ran out the door, ignoring Axel and Demyx's protests. I slammed on the elevator button repeatedly, continuing my mantra when Axel run up next to me.

"What on earth is wrong with you?" he asked.

"I have class in fifteen minutes!" I glanced at my watch, moaned, and slammed the button a few more times. I then let out a scream as I felt myself get lifted onto Axel's shoulder. "Put me down!" I screamed. "I mean it! Put me down!" I kicked a few times, ignoring the low chuckle from my tall companion.

He brought me back into my apartment, throwing me onto the couch. "No class for you." He held up my class schedule, complete with my professor's phone number. "I called your teacher. She's going to e-mail the lesson to you. She said homework's due next class."

I stared at Axel. "You called my professor?"

He nodded, and Demyx walked up beside him. "You're not exactly feeling well, why let you suffer in class?" he muttered, shrugging calmly.

Demyx ruffled my hair. "I would stay and help Axel, but I have work." He smiled and waved, showing himself out of my apartment.

I stared at the red head. "Why are you so concerned? I mean…we barely know each other…"

Axel sighed, sitting beside me on the couch. "At first," he began, staring off into space. "I thought that you were this push-over of a kid who cared for no one but your immediate circle. Obviously, I was wrong. It's just…in the last few days, I've learned a lot about you just in basic interaction. And, well…I think I've truly fallen in love with you, Roxas." I stared at him as he looked at me nervously. "I know that the word love scares people away, sometimes, so I almost hesitate to say it, but…I know it's love. It's so much more different than anything I've ever felt before." He looked at me, and I could see it in his eyes—he wasn't bullshitting me.

I looked at my lap. "I…I'm flattered, really…I wish I could say the same…but I'm not sure." I looked up at him hesitantly; he was calm and intent. "I can't say I love you...but I can't say I don't. I just…I don't know." I smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Axel shook his head. "don't be. I know love is fickle. I'll give you time, okay?" He stood up. I'll come check on you tomorrow, okay?"

I blinked. "You're leaving?"

He nodded. "I have a previous engagement I need to deal with."

"Oh…okay…"

He kissed my head softly. "I love you."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I spent the rest of the day sleeping and eating soup. When I went to bed at 8:30 for the first time since second grade, I was slightly uneasy. I was thinking about what Axel had said. He loved me. Who would have thought? But what about me? What did I feel? I wasn't sure.

I woke up the next morning to my phone going off; Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns was playing from the tiny speakers on my cell. I almost considered not answering—however, Le Disko is the ringtone for my mother, so I decided I should answer. "Good Morning mom…" I moaned, stretching.

"_If only it was, Roxas-honey,"_ my mom replied. She sounded a bit frazzled, and that woke me up a bit.

"What's wrong mom?" I asked, sitting up in my bed.

"_Two things at once,"_ she said. _"I need you to come home. Your father had a heart attack this morning, and your brother was in an accident."_

I paled. My dad had a tendency to not take his blood pressure medication, and didn't take care of himself. He'd been riding his death out for sometime. My brother, Cloud, owned a motorcycle, and had the habit of street racing his friends and their family—ironically, Sora's boyfriend, Riku Nonaka, was related to Cloud's one of friends. "Are they okay?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"_They're attempting to give your father a bypass, and Cloud's been unconscious since they brought him in. Kadaj says that he hit the ground hard."_

"Okay. I'll be home as fast as possible, mom. It'll take me most of the day to drive out there." I jumped off the bed, pulling some clothes into a bag. She hung up, and I followed suit. I looked at my alarm as I zipped up the duffle: 7:15 AM. It would take me approximately four hours to drive back home. I rammed my shoes on, throwing the duffle over my shoulder, and tossing both my phone and charger in my pants pocket. I ran from the room, snatching my keys and leaving my apartment, running down the stairs to the garage. I jumped into my Dodge, slamming the door and revving the engine as fast as I could, screaming out of the garage and darting down the road. I was more worried about dad than Cloud. Cloud had been in plenty of accidents over the years. Dad on the other hand was ancient. His heart was already being monitored as it was. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. "Dammit, Dad. When will you learn that the doctors actually know what they're talking about?" The radio was blaring my own mixed CD, with songs like Le Disko, Fergilicious, and other random crap. Music like this made the drive a lot easier, and kept my mind from thinking of the worse scenarios.

About two hours into the drive, my phone started going off, sing Daughtry's Home. I answered. "Hi Axel."

"_Oh, so you got me a ring tone?"_

"Yeah."

"_Sweet. I've been promoted."_ I heard Demyx laugh in the back ground. _"Anyway, where are you?"_

I blinked, suddenly remembering that Axel was supposed to come over. "Oh, I'm sorry. Something came up. My dad and brother are in the hospital back home."

"_You have brother?"_ Axel asked in amazement.

"Yeah, and he was in a motorcycle accident. My mom called me this morning and told me to come home." I sighed, pouting. "I'm really sorry, Axel."

"_Hey, no problem,_" the red head told me. _"Family first, kiddo."_

I sighed, thankful. If it had been Hayner, he would have been throwing a fit. "Thanks, Axel. I'll let you know what goes down, okay?"

"_Alright. Be careful."_

"I am." We hung up, and I suddenly felt better. I rocked out for the majority of the trip.

XxXxXxXxX

My home town is considered a quiet town by day, and a party town by night. If anything goes on, it's after nightfall. Small shops and homes line the streets, and everyone knows everyone else's business, whether you want them to or not. This was why I left. But as I drove down the familiar main road, I had to admit that it felt good to be home.

I pulled into the hospital parking lot with a deafening screech, parking my Dodge and running into the building. I was greeted by Cloud's long-time girlfriend, Tifa Lockheart. She smiled at me, brushing long brunette tresses out of her face, focusing her dark brown eyes on me. As usual, she was wearing an ebony leather tank top and matching capris. She walked over, hugging me to her. "It's great to see you, Roxas." She held me away from her. "You haven't changed at all."

I scowled, knowing she was referring to my height. "Nice to see you too, Tifa." I glanced around. "Where is everyone?"

She sat in the chair she had occupied a moment before. "Kadaj and the others went to McDonald's. Do you want me to call them up and tell them to get something for you?"

"No, I ate already, but thanks." I sat beside her. "So, how are they?"

"Cloud is stable," she told me. "Your dad on the other hand…They don't know if he'll make it."

I nodded, not surprised, but still a bit shaken. "I figured. Dad never was careful about his health."

"Roxas!" Next thing I knew, I was being suffocated by my mother, who was rocking me back and forth. "Oh, my baby boy has come home!"

I pried my mom's arms off me. "Nice to see you too mom…" Her flaxen tresses were pulled into a bun, and her azure eyes were a bit dimmer than I remembered. Stress wrinkles creased her face. "Are you okay, mom?"

"Much better, now that my boy's back home." She kissed my head. "Thank you for coming, honey."

"Of course mom." I looked toward the door. A silver haired young man was digging into a bag, his shoulder-length hair falling into his face. He was still dressed in his biking leathers. I smiled. "So, you haven't been sent to jail yet, Kadaj?"

He looked up, his aqua orbs dilating in a cat-like way. He then smirked slowly, standing, only to tower over me, much to my dislike. "Well, the midget has made his return," he muttered. "How have you been, kid?"

"decent," I replied. I crossed my arms. "I'm surprised you're not in prison."

Kadaj snorted, taking a bite of the burger he'd snatched from the bag. "With what law enforcement?"

"True." There was a single sheriff in the town and, really, no one ever listened to him, and he never enforced anything. Thus the only reason why Kadaj and Cloud hadn't been arrested for street racing. I looked down at the long haired young man to Kadaj's right. "How are you, Yazoo?"

"Fine, thank you Roxas." Yazoo was the quiet one. He wasn't much for the street racing, and more into art than anything else. I liked him a lot. "How is college going for you?"

I shrugged off handedly. "Okay, I guess. I finished my general ed, and I'm going for my AA."

"In what?"

I feel kind of quiet, the blood rushing to my cheeks. "…teaching…" I muttered quietly.

Yazoo looked elated, while Kadaj burst into uncontrollable laughter. My mom and Tifa were smiling. "I'm so proud of you," Yazoo cheered, elbowing Kadaj in the ribs. "What are you going to teach then?"

"Elementary school kids," I muttered, smiling a bit.

Kadaj choked on his burger, staring at me. "You're going to kill them before you teach them anything!"

I scowled, crossing my arms indignantly. "I will not! I've gained a lot of patience in the last couple years, if you must know!"

"How?" he countered.

"For god sakes! First, there's Hayner's childish behavior! Not to mention those goddamn neighbors of mine who are usually drunk—sweet Jesus, and now I'm dating one of them, and--" I stopped, remembering my mom never knew about mine and Hayner's relationship, not to mention the breakup and new date. I turned to my mother, who was staring at me.

She then slid into a chair. "My son's gay. Oh dear lord."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Mom, I have a confession to make. Hayner and I…we had been dating for a little over three years. And about a week ago, we broke up, and I started dating my neighbor three days later." I moaned, seeing my mom's faith in me dwindle slightly. "Sorry…"

Tifa took me by the shoulders, shaking her head. "No need for you to apologize, Roxas. She's just a little stressed out. Once this is over, she'll be more understanding." She smiled. "I promise."

I nodded, feeling a bit of weight off my shoulders. I hated making the situation worse for my mom, but I hadn't meant to. I sighed again, peeking into Cloud's room, blinking furiously as I saw his equally azure orbs blink back at me. "Holy shiznit, he's alive!" I yelled, not quite thinking straight. All of us clamored into the room as Cloud sat up with a grunt. "You ass," I muttered darkly. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He shrugged, shoving a few platinum locks out of his face. He then looked at Kadaj, who was fighting a grin. "Damage?"

Kadaj snorted. "Your bike is totaled." He muttered. "As for you, you got some serious air and hit the concrete head first, and I think that took the initial blow." He looked Cloud over slowly. "And somehow, you're still alive."

"Cloud!" We all flinched, glancing over to Tifa. She had her hands on her hips, and she was giving a full on optic death ray. I felt my older brother cower under her gaze, and I didn't blame him. "How many times have I told you?" she hissed. "How many?!"

Cloud lowered his gaze, as though avoiding the question. "…too many…?" he admitted sheepishly. He flinched as Tifa came within inches of his face.

"That's right," she hissed. "You can't go and pull these stunts! Not any more!" She backed away. "Which reminds me…" She then turned to the rest of us, smiling. " I have good news! I know now is not the time, because SOMEBODY had to be a dumb ass, but better now than later." She held up her left hand, her smile growing. "Cloud and I are engaged!"

An odd silence echoed through the room before everyone started talking at once, during which time, Tifa's younger sister Yuffie came flying out of no where and attached herself to me. "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" She yelled into my ear. "Tifa's gonna be a bride!" She squeezed me. "Welcome home, Roxas!"

Once she released me, I turned to look at Yuffie. She had gotten taller since last I had seen her. Her brown hair was cropped short, and her matching eyes were as lively as before. She did a small spin. "Like what you see?" she said with a wink. "Too bad, I'm taken."

"So is he," Kadaj quipped.

This made Yuffie pout. "Damn," I heard her whisper.

"By a guy, too," Kadaj added, earning a kick in the shin from me.

Yuffie stared at me like fish. "NO WAY!" She then screamed excitedly. "TIFA! I won the bet with Barret! I TOLD him Roxas was gay!"

"What am I, a spectator sport now?!" I yelled, pulling my phone out as it started vibrating against my leg. I looked at the ID and almost had to laugh at the irony. I stepped out of the room. "I told you I'd call you."

There was a chuckle. "_I couldn't wait any longer. How are things?"_

"My brother woke up, and he's engaged," I muttered, leaning against the wall. I laughed. "He got an earful from his fiancée. I love her to death, but she's scary."

"_Good to know you're brother is okay. How about your dad?"_

I fell quiet. "…they don't know if he's going to make it. I don't really know." I sighed. "Axel, what do I do?"

"_Pray,"_ he muttered quietly. "_That's all you can do when medicine fails._"

I sighed again, rubbing my face with my hand. "I know…" I gasped, feeling my phone fly out of my hand, which was caught by Yuffie, who stuck her tongue out at me. "Yuffie! Give it!"

"Nuh-uh!" She held the phone to her ear. "Hullo? This is Yuffie, Roxas' childhood friend. Who's this? ….Axel….uh-huh….are you his boyfriend?" She let out a squeal. "I told Barret he was gay!" She then threw the phone back at me, cackling evilly as she ran back into Cloud's room.

"_Excitable much?_" Axel muttered with a laugh.

"Yeah, she is," I hissed. "I'm sorry about her. I didn't hear her come up—she's like a fucking ninja."

"I AM A NINJA!!!!!!" I heard Yuffie yell.

Axel chuckled a bit more. "_Nice. Well, I'll let you go. Call me when you find out about your dad."_

"I will."

"_I love you…"_

"…" I hung up. I felt bad about it too. I just couldn't say "I love you" yet. I still wasn't sure. Love is such a strong word…

"Roxas?" I looked up to find Tifa standing beside me. "Would you rather stay with me, Barret, Yuffie and Marlene, or with your mom?" She smiled.

"…you," I muttered, finding it easy to talk to Tifa. "I need some advice anyway…"

Tifa smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You know I'm here to help. You're always welcome…"

XxXxXxXxX

Remarkably, the doctor let Cloud come home after the doctor ran thousands of tests, all of them he passed with flying colors. Any normal person would have died, but Cloud was no normal person. While Tifa was escorting Cloud inside, Yuffie was helping me with me bag. "Marlene has gotten so big," she told me. "You'll either be sleeping in her room or mine."

"Why yours?" I asked, raising a brow at her.

"I might be staying with my boyfriend tonight."

I nodded, following her inside. Barret, Tifa and Yuffie's half brother, was sitting at a table with Loz, Cloud's friend. Barret was a big guy, and slightly intimidating. He kind of reminded me of a buzzed Mr. T. Only scarier. Loz was tall and clumsy looking, with a tuft of sliver hair on top. He usually was with Kadaj and Yazoo, but hung out with others too. Both looked up from their card game as I walked in, as though on cue. Loz stared at me, blinking, while Barret stood up with a barking laugh. "Well! If it isn't the miniature Cloud!" He walked over, pulling me into a one-armed hug that nearly suffocated me. "How have you been kid?"

Loz clumped over, staring at me. "No way! This is little Roxas? Little Roxas from the days of hide and seek?"

I nodded, remembering how Loz used to baby-sit me as a kid. "Yeah," I choked, "It's me…" I gasped loudly as Barret released me, coughing loudly as to fill my lungs. I then heard a loud scream as a little girl came flying into my arms; I had to spin to keep the momentum and not fall on my ass. I looked at the little brunette, who was almost as tall as I was. "Marlene?!"

The girl smiled at me. "Hi Roxas! Welcome back! Are you staying?"

"Only for a night or two," I replied, sighing as I saw Yuffie pass, mouthing, _you'll sleep in my room._ I put Marlene down, fingering her soft, brown tresses. "Then I go back home."

Marlene began to pout. "But Roxas! This is your home! Remember?"

"Now Marlene…" Tifa took my hand, leading me up the stairs. "It's not about you dear." She motioned me to Yuffie's bedroom. "You'll stay there for the night, okay?" She looked me in the eye. "It's late, and you've been driving. Get some rest if you can, alright?"

I nodded. "right. Thanks, Tifa…"

"…Is there anything you want to talk about?" Tifa was staring at me curiously, her head cocked to the side.

"…I…" I hesitated. "...How do you know…when you're truly in love…?"

She smiled softly. "…You just know." She then walked away with her cryptic answer, and I went to bed.

XxXxXxXxX

Since the last thing I thought about was what Tifa said, I ended up dreaming about Axel, and all our interactions. For some reason, the words _I hope you die_ kept echoing in my mind. I knew what it was from, but I didn't exactly understand why it was coming back to me now. Either way, I never really finished my recollections, as I was awakened by Cloud shaking me roughly at about four in the morning(and I was just getting to the good part of my dream too…). "What do you want, Cloud?" I mumbled. "It's too fucking early…"

"Mom just called," he hissed.

I stiffened. "And?"

"…dad died. His heart failed completely."

I stared at Cloud's silhouette, my ears ringing. In one sense, I couldn't believe what I had just heard. On the other hand however, I didn't doubt it. Still, my heart began to ache a bit. "How's mom?" I muttered once I had found my voice.

"Tifa's gone to take care of her, don't worry. I'm in charge of funeral set up. Will you stay?"

"…I can't. I'm sorry. I'll…I'll leave this afternoon…" I laid down slowly, staring at the ceiling. Luckily, Cloud got the hint and left. Just as the door clicked shut, I felt tears sting the back on my eyes. "…Dad…" I whispered, my voice cracking as tears began running from their hold.

XxXxXxXxX

I felt bad leaving my brother and mom with the burden of dad's death, but I myself couldn't handle it as well. Cloud was strong, and I knew he'd keep everything under control. I left around noon, and made sure no one saw me leave. I really didn't feel like facing anyone today. Once I had hit the freeway, I called Axel like I had promised, if only to keep myself calm. "Has my apartment burned down yet?"

Axel laughed at my bad joke, and I couldn't help but smile. "_No, it's just the way you left it._"

"Oh, so a complete mess, great."

"_What are you doing?"_

"I'm on my way home."

"_So soon?"_

I fell quiet, holding my breath. "Yeah…"

"…_did something happen?_"

"You could say that…" I pulled off to the side as my vision became blurred with tears. "…My dad died…"

Axel was silent for a few moments. _"…I'm sorry…"_ It was a sincere apology. "_…Is there anything I can do?"_

"No," I sighed, slowly regaining control of myself. "I'll be fine. I just need to get home…"

"_I understand."_ He sighed. "_Be careful, okay?"_

"Yeah, sure…" And he hung up. I leaned back in my seat, pressing my palms to my eyes, willing the tears to stop. I took a few deep breaths and I felt better instantly. I sighed, turning on the stereo for the first time in two hours, where the Sweeney Todd soundtrack began blaring. I smiled, singing along as I pulled back onto the freeway. I figured at the rate I was going, I might miss rush hour traffic by a few minutes at most. I preferred that over hitting it, but with my luck, I'd barely hit it and swear at myself for the next three hours. The thing is with me though, I have the worst luck in the world, and anything that can go wrong, _will_ go wrong. Such was the case. I ended up hitting a backup where an accident had been, which delayed me about an hour and a half, so I _did_ hit rush hour traffic. Once I had made it off the freeway, I was pissed off, hungry, and not so nice. And I guess that was my problem.

I had made it about five miles away from the apartment complex, when some douche bag ran a red light and t-boned me. Yeah, that hurt. Not to mention that I hit my head hard on the dash board and blacked out. Yeah, totally not fun.

XxXxXxXxX

"—Oxas! Roxas! Omigawd, guys, he's waking up!"

I'll tell you one thing, waking up with a pounding headache is one thing, but waking up with that headache and Olette screaming nearby is ten times worse. I moaned as she started screaming again. "Shut UP Olette!" I opened my eyes slowly. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?"

Olette smiled at me. "Sorry Roxas, but we were worried about you!"

I nodded then stopped. "Wait…how'd you know I was here?"

"You were on the news," Demyx yelled form the doorway as he walked in with Zexion. "Olette and I saw it, and we called people."

I blinked furiously. "Was it that bad? I thought I just got t-boned."

"By a Dodge Ram, ironically," Olette muttered. "Yeah, you got t-boned, but the force of the impact flipped your little Neon a few times. They had to use the jaws of life."

I stared for a minute, everything slowly starting to register, including the pain down my back and everywhere else. I vaguely remembered a spinning sensation before I blacked out, but that was about it. "Huh…" I glanced around. "Does anyone have vicoden?"

Olette and Pence laughed. "That's our Roxas!"

"No, I'm serious, I have the biggest fucking pain down my spine."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I spent a little over a day in the hospital, not counting the four hours I was unconscious, before the doctor finally decided I could go home. I thought it was a bit ridiculous that it took him a little over four hours to examine me and make a deduction, when I just had a few bruises and a stretched tendon. Talk about someone who went to a special school…Never the less, it felt pretty good outside while I was waiting for Demyx to bring his car around to the front of the hospital for me. He was pretty helpful getting in and out of the car, as well as walking to and from the elevator to my apartment. Even so, I had to ask. "Where's Axel?"

There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Demyx smiled. "He had some business to take care of. He'll come see you tomorrow." He held his hand up childishly, a grin on his face. "I promise."

I smiled, leaning against my door frame. "All right, I'll trust you Demyx." I opened my door, blinking slightly when I found the door unlocked. "Uh…thanks for bringing me home." He smiled again and left. I stared uncertainly in my apartment; it was dark, and I was pretty sure I had locked the door before I left. I sighed to myself, hoisting myself onto my crutches and swinging into the apartment. I got myself to the kitchen, where I turned on the light and nearly screamed. Hayner was lying on my couch, his shirt tossed across the room. In one hand was a bottle of what looked like Smirnoff. Beside him was a plastic bag of bottles—empty and full—which clinked happily as he sat up. It was obvious that he was drunk beyond all reason. He stared emotionlessly at me for a moment, his honey-colored eyes glazed and blank. He then looked me up and down with a smile. "What are you doing here, Hayner?" I hissed, measuring the space between us.

Hayner's grin broadened, and he pulled something out of his pocket. I paled; it was the spare key I had given him when we got together. I had forgotten to get it back from him. I gripped the hand rails of the crutches tightly, scowling, and he laughed. "I'ma not here ta fight," he muttered, managing to get his words out passed the heavy slur. He took a quick drink of the Smirnoff in his hand. "I came ta talk. I realished shometing." He took a step towards me. "I realished what I did wrong wif you."

I scooted away from the counter quickly. "Hayner, what are you talking about?" I asked, panicking a bit on the inside, but showing no fear—Hayner's like any animal, he smells fear. "You're drunk. Why aren't you Kairi? She must be worried sick…"

My ex laughed, stumbling into the kitchen counter. "Kairi? She dumped me."

"As she should have."

"She dumped me," he repeated, "and I came here. You weren't home, bu' I had da key shtill." He stumbed towards me. "and then I realished shometing. I realished that I nevah paid attenshion to you." He reached out and grabbed my arm, knocking me off balance and throwing my crutches to the floor. "So I decided shomting. I decided to give you the attenshin you deserved."

"Hayner," I whispered, hiding the tremor in my voice. "You're drunk. Just…just sit down so we can talk. Okay?" At first, he seemed to consider it. But then he dropped the Smirnoff bottle and threw me to the floor, straddling me and slamming our mouths together in one fluid movement. My eyes were wide and my mouth open with a silent scream, which allowed Hayner to take advantage of my mouth.

I shoved at his shoulders, screaming, struggling with his over whelming weight. My hands found his throat, and I began strangling him, screaming as loud as my vocal cords would allow. After a moment, he managed to grab my hands and pin them to the ground. "You wanted the attenshion!" he screamed in my face, his breath heavily reeking with alcohol. "You wanted it! Well?! Are you happy now?! HUH?!"

There was a loud crack, and I felt something whip passed me and into the floor beside me. Both of us froze. Then I heard Demyx: "Let him go," he hissed. There was a small click. "Next time," he muttered slowly, "I won't miss." Demyx came into my line of sight, and he kicked Hayner off to the side, a ebony handgun in his right hand, aimed straight at Hayner. His normally bright blue eyes were narrowed and showing tints of green. He held out his other hand, making Hayner flinch. "You give me the key," my neighbor told him, "And you get out. If I ever see you come within five feet of Roxas again…" He fired a bullet at my glass table, which shattered, then cocked the gun again. "I will not hesitate to kill you." There was a moment of silence, and Hayner gave up his key, scrambling out of the room faster than I had ever seen. It was quiet, and I watched Demyx as he turned on the safety, and tucked his gun in his pocket. He then turned and smiled at me as though he hadn't just threatened my ex within an inch of his life. "Well," he said cheerfully. "Now that that fucker is taken care of!" He pulled me up, handing me my crutches. He then clapped a hand on my shoulder. "I think you should stay in my apartment tonight."

I agreed without argument, and let him lead me into the hallway and into the apartment, where I took refuge on the couch. The TV was blaring South Park, which I promptly turned down. I glanced nervously at Demyx, who was humming a little tune to himself. "Uh…" He glanced back at me. "…Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

He blinked a few times, before coming to sit beside me. "Axel taught me." I stared. "Axel and I grew up in a hard part of the city. If you didn't have a gun, or didn't know how to shoot one, you were as good as dead." He sat back on the couch, his hands behind his head. "Frankly, I didn't, and Axel got me out of some sticky situations. He got irritated enough that he gave me one of his guns and taught me how to shoot it." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Never thought we'd have guns, didja?"

I shook my head slowly. "…No…I didn't…"

There was a little whine, and I was startled to find Demyx leaning towards me, his lower lip sticking out in an obvious pout. "You're not afraid of us now, are you?" he asked. "We're good people, right?" I blinked, not exactly sure how to answer. As far as I had seen, both Demyx and Axel were wonderful people once you got to know them. Grant it, they both had their quirks, but that really didn't make them bad people, did it? I sighed, shaking my head and earning a glomp from Demyx. "I didn't think so either!" He smiled, releasing me. "I hope one of these days, Axel will gather enough courage to introduce you to the gang!"

I blinked again, confused. "The gang?" I muttered. "Whose the gang?"

"The gang is comprised of all our closest friends. There's seven of us in total." He shrugged. "We're all nice people, so I don't know why Axel's so hesitant." He stood up. "We all look out for each other, and if all else fails, we run." He giggled at his lame finish before turning to me. "So, are you hungry? I'm starved. I was thinking about ordering a pizza or two. Or do you think that's too much? I don't know, what do you think?"

"Pizza's fine," I muttered. "I think two will be enough." I smiled, glad to see Demyx back to the chipper self I knew. It was hard for me to believe that not even a half hour ago, he had had the eyes of a murderer. I slumped against the arm of the couch as Demyx chatted animatedly to the pizza guy over the phone, ordering a large Hawaiian pizza and a combo.

Dinner was quiet, save for the TV, where a Scrubs mini-marathon had begun. Demyx was busy stuffing his face and watching the show, while I was texting Olette and telling her what happened. Needless to say, she was outraged, and swore she'd give Hayner a piece of her mind. I didn't doubt this, and almost felt bad for Hayner—ALMOST. Olette's wrath is scarier than any horror flick you can think of. Around ten, I was getting drowsy. I kept trying to tell Demyx I could sleep on the couch, but he insisted that I sleep in Axel's bed. So much so, in fact, that he carried me in there himself, despite my protests. Even so, once I actually lied down, I found that Axel's bed was quite enjoyable. He had a temper pedic mattress, and extremely soft sheets—500 count, I guessed—topped with a down comforter. There were two pillows—one was a average sized Goose feather pillow, and the other was a body pillow. I lied there for a few minutes, relishing in the mass of comfort. I sighed—the pillows smelled like him; an odd mix of cinnamon and vanilla. Not an average smell, but not unpleasant. I drifted off slowly, enveloped in Axel's scent, in his mega-ultra comfy bed.

XxXxXxXxX

I woke with a start. There was a loud banging on the front door of the apartment, followed by someone yelling for Demyx to get up. Since the door was open, I saw Demyx, shirtless and pulling his jeans up, pad down the hall groggily. "I'm coming!" he yelled, rubbing his eyes slowly. I heard the door click open. "What the hell is—OH MY FUCKING GOD! What the hell happened?! Get in here!" I heard five pairs of feet walk inside. "C'mon, get him to my room," I heard Demyx hiss. I sat up slowly as I saw Demyx coaxing the others into his room. Two of them—one with a long black ponytail, the other with bubblegum-pink hair—were carrying Axel, who was a limp heap in their grasp. I wanted to leap off the bed right them, but I didn't. This was obviously one of their affairs. I flinched as another man, this one with pale blue hair, glared at me from the hallway before being pushed into Demyx's room by two blonds, one of which was female. "What the hell happened?" Demyx hissed. He sounded angry. "And I want the truth this time."

"Thus why I'm here," the pale haired man replied. "Seeing as I can't trust any of them but Marluxia to relay what happened."

"It's my fault," the black haired man said with a groan. He was wearing a patch over one eye, and bore a long scar on his face. He banged his head roughly on the wall. "I knew he was going to nearly get himself killed…"

"What was he trying to do?" Demyx asked with genuine confusion.

"He was trying to take down Xaldin's ring," the only girl said with a smirk. "He's the only supplier, you know."

Demyx was staring wide eyed at the girl. "…No way. Larxene, there's no way he would be so stupid…"

"Was and did," she countered.

"He was trying to quit, wasn't he?" The pink-haired one muttered slowly. "I was walking with him after work, and Xaldin confronted him about lack of sale." He shook his head. "Xaldin didn't like it."

"The thing is," the other blond began, his voice laced with a heavy British accent. "He went alone. 'Cause he wanted none of us involved."

"Luxord's right," the pale haired man muttered.

"So, Saïx," Demyx muttered quietly. "You know Xaldin won't stop until he's dead. What do we do?"

"What _can _we do?" the one with the eye patch yelled. "He'll kill any of us in a heart beat, and you know it!"

Demyx stared at him for a moment. "…you're sober, aren't you Xigbar?"

"Yes, I am."

"Damn." Demyx sighed. "We can't just run…but we can't face him either."

"Have Axel lie low for a while," Saïx replied. "That's all we can do for now. Once the coast is clear, we'll give word."

Demyx sighed. "Thanks Saïx."

"By the way…" Saïx glanced into Axel's room, eyeing me curiously. "Who is this?"

I stiffened as the other four people became aware of my presence. They were all staring at me and it made me highly uncomfortable. Demyx stood up and walked over to me, sitting on the bed beside me. "This is Roxas Akari," he said. "He's our neighbor. And Axel's new boyfriend."

Marluxia, the pink haired one, blinked before smiling slightly. "Oh. You're the one then." I said nothing, not sure what he was talking about. "If it weren't for you, he'd be dead of over dose." He smiled at me.

"This is the kid?" Xigbar gaped. "Nice."

"But isn't he also the reason Axel's in this position?" Larxene hissed, her arms folded over her chest.

It was silent for a moment. "You only say that, lass, because Axel would rather fuck a vibrator than your pussy in his life time," Luxord hissed. Larxene then scowled, her hand twitching. "You know it's true."

"Leave him alone, guys," Demyx growled. "He has it hard enough without you guys picking on him. His ex just nearly raped him, his dad just died, and he hasn't even seen Axel's condition yet. He doesn't need you to make him feel any worse."

Saïx raised a brow at him, but said nothing. Larxene huffed and left, slamming the door. "It's fine," I muttered, afraid to offend them. "They can say whatever they want about me. I don't mind."

Xigbar looked thoughtful for a moment. "So, if I called you a pussy foot, you wouldn't mind?"

I glared at him. "That's going to far."

He laughed. "I like this kid already. Now I get what Axel sees in him. He's got passion."

Demyx cuddled me, smiling. "That and he's fucking adorable!"

I giggled nervously, shrinking away from the group. I didn't exactly like the way they were looking at me, except for Xigbar and Marluxia who seemed harmless enough. The group then started bidding us farewell, telling Demyx to let them know if anything happened. Saïx spoke to me in particular. "Take care of him," he said before following a waiting Marluxia out of the apartment.

I waited a few moments before glancing at a sighing Demyx. "What happened? Is Axel okay?"

"Hm?" The blond blinked at me for a few moments. "Axel? Oh, yeah. He'll be fine. Grant it, he's going to be in a lot of pain tomorrow. Don't take him too seriously if he's irritated." He stood up, stretching. "Well," he sighed. "Looks like I'm sleeping on the couch to night."

"No," I muttered. "I'll sleep on the couch. I'm the guest. I'd feel horrible if you did."

Demyx stared at me for a moment, before smiling. "I've got a better idea," he muttered as he scooped me up off the bed. "You'll sleep with Axel in my bed, and I'll sleep in Axel's bed."

I squirmed slightly. "Gah. Oh, no, I couldn't Demyx!"

"And why not?"

"It's your bed!"

"Your point?"

"…" I blinked as Demyx dropped me on the bed beside Axel, who was passed out and bloody. "…Never had one," I muttered.

The blond smiled and clicked off the light. "Sleep well!"

I sat in the darkness for a few moments, glancing in Axel's general direction. I didn't know what all of this was about, but I knew I didn't like it. I sighed, lying beside him, my hand lying on his chest tenderly. I listened to his soft breaths, letting the rhythm of his heart lull me to sleep.

XxXxXxXxX

I woke to the sound of breaking glass and yelling in the living room. I sat up, rubbing my eyes at the light coming from under the now closed door. I looked beside me to find Axel gone, and then I heard his voice outside—go figure. It sounded like both him and Demyx were screaming at each other, though I couldn't understand what either were saying. I sighed and scrambled off the bed, hopping slightly to the door. I opened it a crack, only to shut it quickly as a plate came flying to the door, shattering against the wood.

"I thought you were quitting!" Demyx screamed. "Nice to know you can keep your promises!"

"You _want_ me dead?!" Axel yelled back. "Some friend you are!"

"No, I don't want you dead! But you didn't promise _me_! You promised Roxas!" I cracked open the door slightly again, and saw Demyx brandishing a small bag of the white powder I'd seen before. "Does he mean anything to you?!"

"Yes, he does!" Axel growled, attempting to grab the bag from Demyx. "Thus why I'm not going to get myself killed!"

"Promises are more important!" The blond threw the bag aside. "If he means anything to you, you'll keep your promises!"

"I can't!"

"Nice to know," I muttered quietly. I thought neither of them would be able to hear me, but I was mistaken. Axel turned to face me, his emerald orbs wide, despite the black eye he sported. His mouth was hanging open like a fish out of water. Demyx was looking from me to Axel, and back to me. "Glad to know promises mean that much…"

"Roxas…" Axel turned to me fully, walking over and pulling open the door. "You have to understand." He fell on his knees, coming to my level, grasping my shoulders in pleading. "Please, you have to understand. If I don't, I'll be killed."

"If your life means more to you than your word," I growled, feeling tears burn the backs of my eyes. "Than maybe you should die…"

The red head's eyes grew wider, if that was possible. "Roxas…you…you don't mean that. I know you don't. Roxas…"

I choked, feeling the tears leave footprints down my face. A part of me didn't even know why I was crying. "Well maybe I do!" I yelled. "You're just some washed up druggie anyway, so who needs you?!" I shoved his hands off my shoulders, the tears coming faster than I could register them. "I don't! I don't need you, Axel Kasaiko! I hope you die!" I backed up and slammed the door, relieved to find a lock. I hobbled back to the bed, sitting on it and crying. I wasn't a hundred percent sure if I meant anything I had said. I wasn't even sure if what had happened had really happened. Thinking on it, my own words stung a bit; I couldn't imagine how it felt on Axel's end. After a good ten minutes, I fell silent, tears still sliding down my face. I was listening for sounds. Sure enough, I heard Axel.

"Roxas…" I barely heard him at first. "I deserve everything you just said. Maybe even more. But I'm trying…isn't that enough? It's only been almost a week…it takes more time, not only for a relationship to work out, but for old habits to die." I glanced over at the door. I could almost imagine him leaning against the door. "Just give me a chance…help me…please…just help me…"

I sat for a moment, then sighed. He had a point. How could I have expected him to change in a few days? That was illogical. I stood up and hobbled over, opening the door slowly. Axel was staring at me, pleading, tears sliding down his cheeks. A part of me felt a huge wave of regret. The other said to stand firm. "All right," I muttered. "I'll give you one more chance. Just one." I smiled as he started to sigh in relief. "I'll get you help. Because I love you." I blinked furiously, my hand going to my mouth. I had said it without thinking. And it felt right. I smiled behind my hand; I finally knew what Tifa had meant. _ "…You just know." _

"…you said it," Axel muttered, his voice cracking.

"I did," I giggled. "and I do, Axel." I kissed his cheek softly. "I love you, Axel."

Axel was staring at me, a smile breaking across his face. He then stood up and took me in his arms, picking me up and swinging me around like a child. He was laughing, as if I hadn't just told him to go die a few moments before. He held me to him, and I glanced over his shoulder at Demyx. He was throwing the bag in the trash, a faint smile on his face. He looked to me and nodded, as though telling me I made the right decision. I smiled back, laughing as Axel began dancing around the room, holding me up to him, carrying me like a child.

XxXxXxXxX

"_So, let me get this straight. Hayner tried to rape you, and you got into a fight with Axel, and now everything's good, and you want me to help you find a drug rehabilitation center for Axel?"_

"That's about the story in a nutshell." I was lying on the living room floor of Axel's apartment, fingering Axel's hair as he napped, while talking to Sora on my cell. Sora was working as a receptionist at the therapy center not too far from my school, and if anyone could get me connected it would be him. "I'm going to help him, Sora. And I figure rehab is a start."

Sora sighed heavily, and I heard clicking from his keyboard. _"I'm not promising any results, Roxas."_ he told me. "_I'll do what I can, but only for you."_

"Thanks so much Sora. I owe you."

"_Yeah, sure. I'll call you back if I find anything._"

I smiled, shutting my phone. I glanced down at Axel, who promptly opened an eye at me. "Sora's going to help too."

"Really now?" he muttered, yawning. "And here I was under the impression he didn't like me."

I thought about it for a moment. "…I don't know if he does or not."

Axel pouted. "Well that's comforting."

I giggled, playing with his hair some more. "I have faith in Sora. And besides, he knows how much you mean to me." I smiled. "He'll help, even if he doesn't like you, if only for me."

Axel rolled his eyes slightly. "Nice cousin you've got there."

I hit his arm playfully. "Please, Axel, play nice."

That phrase must have cued something—he grinned evilly. "Play nice?" he repeated. He then rolled over me, straddling my hips. "Since when do I play nice?" He leaned down, capturing my mouth with a slight growl. I sighed, my eyes closing slowly. I felt his mouth trail down my neck. "Do I play nice?" he asked, his mouth against the base of my throat.

I moaned quietly. "No," I whispered. "No…you don't…" I threaded my hands into his hair, pulling him to me, making him chuckle. "You play dirty, you bastard…"

Axel chuckled, nipping my neck. "No need for name calling now…" he slipped his hands up my shirt, caressing my skin tenderly. My back arched a bit, another moan slipping passed my lips. "Take it back," he hissed, licking my neck. "Take it back."

I laughed a bit, arching as I felt his finger trace my nipple teasingly. "No," I whispered. "I won't."

"You asked for it," he whispered back, ripping off my shirt in a fluid motion, attacking my stomach with his mouth. I had to fight back a laugh—it tickled more than anything else. His tongue traced up my stomach from my belly button, up to my décolleté, sucking on the base of my throat. "I was about to moan again when there was, frankly, a rude interruption.

"Do you guys have to do that in the living room?" Demyx was standing in the doorway, a bag of groceries on his hip. He was scowling slightly. He readjusted the bag. "Now, if you're done screwing with each other, I have food for dinner. Anyone going to help me or not?"

Axel sighed, but got up in a fluid motion. "All right, I got it." He took the bag from Demyx, who promptly scowled and followed Axel to the kitchenette, hands on his hips. "Couldn't you have taken about an hour longer?"

"Well, I'm sorry my shopping skills aren't to your liking."

I rolled my eyes, pulling my shirt back over my head. I then struggled to my feet. "Get over it Axel, it's not like it was going anywhere."

Axel raised a brow at me, grinning his Cheshire cat grin. "You don't think so? I think it was going to get hot in here."

"Puh-leeze," Demyx hissed, snatching a few items out of the bag. "It takes you longer than an hour to get it up."

Axel glared at Demyx's back and flipped him off, making me giggle. I limped over, sitting at the table. "In other news, Demyx, Sora might find a rehab for Axel!"

Demyx grinned. "Excellent!" He leered at Axel. "There may be hope for you yet."

"Is it 'Insult Axel' day?" Axel growled. "Did I not get the memo?"

"No," Demyx replied, handing Axel a few oranges. "But you've been setting yourself up for jokes all after noon. It's just sad that you don't find them funny." He smiled at me, and I smiled back. Axel scowled. "Roxas thinks it's funny."

Axel glanced at me, pouting. "Do you really?"

I smiled sheepishly. I opened my mouth to answer when my phone started going off. "Saved by Sora!" I grinned as Axel growled. "Hiya Sora! What's new?"

"_I found a doctor who will be able to make a consultation tomorrow afternoon if he's interested."_

I looked at Axel. "Consultation tomorrow after noon. Interested?"

"Totally."

"Give me the details, Sora."

"_All right. Office is on eighth street, suite 38B. Opening is at three-o-clock. Doctor Zion is who he's looking for."_

"Sweet. Thank you so much, Sora."

"_No problem, Roxas. Hope everything turns out okay."_

"Right." We hung up, and I smiled at Axel. "Rehab starts tomorrow."

Axel came over and kissed me tenderly. "Tomorrow is a new beginning."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I spent the night in Axel's room with him, and that in itself was fun in a hand basket. I'll let you imagine what happened. () Either way, the next morning was interesting when Zexion stopped by and got into what Dane Cook calls a nothing fight with Demyx. It literally _was_ a nothing fight, too—neither Axel or myself could figure out what they were fighting about. It finally ended with Zexion storming out, and Demyx following after, yelling at the top of his lungs. Axel made some calls and let me do my homework, which was due the next day. Two thirty rolled around, and we left for eighth street. Axel was silent during the drive, his hands clenching the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. We turned into the parking lot, and I placed a hand on his thigh. "It'll be fine," I told him. I smiled softly. "Everything will be fine."

Axel nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. He ran his hands through his hair roughly. "Yeah," he sighed. "Everything's good, everything's great…"

We got out of the Mustang, and walked hand in hand to suite 38B. I glanced at Axel as he signed in; he was a bit paler than normal, and shaking a bit. "It'll be fine," I whispered, leading him into a chair. "You're not alone, Axel."

The red head let out a heavy sigh. "I'm glad for the support and the help and all the jazz," he said slowly. "I'm just scared."

"Of what?"

Emerald eyes pierced my own blue ones. "I don't want you to get caught in the cross fire."

I wanted to ask Axel what he meant, but I didn't get the chance. A tall, blonde man stepped out of a door, holding a clip board. His aqua orbs glanced at Axel and I for a moment, before glancing down at his clip board. "Kasaiko?" He muttered. Axel jolted up, standing quickly. I stood with him and followed the two into the small office. It was pretty plain over all. An oak desk, a couple chairs, and some framed diplomas. "Sit." We did. The doctor remained standing, glancing over his clip board. "I'll tell you what I know, and you fill in the blanks. I got a call yesterday by a receptionist at the therapy office, asking for help about your condition." He glanced up at Axel. "Am I right?" Axel nodded. "I know you're a drug addict. But that leaves a wide range, doesn't it?" He placed the clip board down and sat in his chair. "I need specifics. What are your choices? Give me a history to go by."

Axel started fidgeting, and I could tell I was going to learn something he didn't want me to know. I started to get up, and he grabbed my hand, shaking his head. "Where do I begin?" he asked with a sigh. "When I was sixteen, I was introduced to weed, thanks to my friend Xigbar. That seems harmless enough. Soon after, I got into ecstasy and crack. I've done all at random intervals, but my drug of choice is crack, I think." He sighed, seemingly relieved to get it off his chest. He smiled at me, and I kissed his cheek in praise.

Dr. Zion nodded, processing the story. "So…you were sixteen?"

"About that, yeah."

"And how old are you now?"

"Twenty-three."

"I see…" He leaned back in his chair, eyes closed in thought. "Mr. Kasaiko, I'll have you know this is going to take work on your part. If you want to truly quit, you're going to have to work for the results. " He opened a single eye and glanced at Axel. "Are you willing to work for it?"

"Yes."

"You will do as I say, and not argue?"

"Yes."

The doctor leaned forward, chin on his hands. "You know this will not be easy, right?"

"Yes." Axel stared him down, squeezing my hand tightly.

The doctor smiled, then looked to me. "He's in for some hard times. You're going to have to support him with all of your being. Are you willing to do that?"

I looked up at Axel, and he looked down at me. Slowly, I nodded. "I am."

The doctor stood up. "Excellent. Mr. Kasaiko, for the next couple months, I'm going to need you to come to this building every day. This is where your rehabilitation will begin."

XxXxXxXxX

"I'm so proud of you."

Axel sighed, flopping onto the couch. I curled up beside him, nuzzling his neck affectionately. "What kind of bullshit did I just get myself into?"

"What do you mean?" I kissed his cheek lightly. "We're just getting you some help."

"I know, but…" He moaned, wrapping his arms around me. "You have no idea what kind of danger you just put yourself in."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," I muttered. "Axel, we'll take everything one step at a time. I'm not worried."

"That's just it!" He sat up, releasing me. "You don't know what we're up against. If something happens to you because of this, I will never forgive myself!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Death, Roxas! The moment Xaldin figures out who you are, he will not hesitate to kill you!" He grabbed me by the shoulders. "Don't you see?"

I scowled, removing Axel's hands from my shoulders. "Axel. Listen to me. I'm not afraid. Yeah, it may be because I don't know any better. Even so, I'm going to stand by you and support you, come what may." I held his face in my hands, staring evenly into his worried eyes. "Let him come. I can take care of myself." I kissed him gently. "I'm not afraid."

Axel smiled softly, laying his hands over mine. "And that confidence and stubbornness is what I love about you. You're so stubborn…" He kissed me, nipping at my lip. "…you won't take no for an answer, will you?" I shook my head and he took me in his arms, lying back on the couch so I was on top of him. "I guess we're more alike than we thought."

"I guess so," I muttered, resting my head on Axel's chest. I smiled as he caressed my hair gently. "So…are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Axel smiled. "Depends. Doesn't it have to do with the fact that we're alone?"

I giggled, sitting up, straddling over Axel's hips. "Yup. Do you know what that means?"

"Do I ever?" In a swift movement, Axel was hovering over me, pulling his Nobody's Rain shirt over his head. He smirked sadistically, pulling my Plain White T's shirt off, running his hands up my chest—I squeaked at his cold touch, which evanesced into a burning sensation. He started sucking on my neck, licking and biting it occasionally.

"Whoa, whoa, I got an idea." I shoved his head away from my neck. "I've done it on a couch. Why not the kitchen?"

Axel blinked at me for a minute. "Do it in the kitchen?"

"Yeah!" I slipped out from underneath him and half-jogged into the kitchen, hopping onto the counter. "C'mon…"

Axel got off the couch and walked over, pulling me against him. "Never would have thought you were a kink, Roxie."

I wrapped my legs around his waist, smirking. "Well, there are a lot of things you don't know…" I whispered, pulling him down to me by his shoulders. "The question is, are you sure you want to know?"

I heard a low growl in Axel's throat, as he attacked my neck again. "You really are a kink," he muttered against my skin, sending tremors down my spine. I heaved a breathy sigh in response, pressing my body against him. Axel's hands tangled themselves in my hair, pulling slightly as his mouth came up to mine, sucking on my tongue and lip, making me moan slightly. My hands felt up his torso, my fingers catching at his nipples. He moaned a bit, pulling me closer. I smiled a bit, one of my hands dropping dangerously low to his pants, fiddling with the button of his jeans. I took his tongue in my mouth, sucking gently as I unzipped his pants, moaning as I felt his warm member brush against my hand between a layer of fabric. I rubbed at it gently, fighting a laugh as I felt Axel thrust into my hand. Knowing I had all the power, I began caressing it rhythmically. I felt Axel's tongue thrust almost urgently, a moan reverberating in his throat as his pelvis moved with my hand. "Roxas…" he whispered after some time. I removed my hand and moved for the spandex on his briefs. His hand grabbed my wrist and he removed his mouth from mine with a gasp. "Roxas…"

"You want me to?" I whispered, my finger twitching towards his waist band.

"No."

I let him guide my hand behind his neck. "Then I won't."

"Thank you…"

He lied his head on my shoulder, and I lied my head on his. One wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me, but my heart was hammering against my ribcage. I caressed Axel's hair, watching him breathe deeply, calming himself. "…I'm sorry," I whispered. He glanced at me oddly. "I got ahead of myself. I don't know what came over me just then." I smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he muttered, kissing my forehead. "It's fine."

I smiled, kissing him softly. I heard him gasp slightly as he pulled me a bit closer. I pulled away with a smile. "Do you want to finish this in your room?"

Axel opened his mouth to say something, but the apartment door burst open. "If you guys are doing anything, stop now." Demyx cried, eyes covered.

"It's safe, Demii," Axel announced, shaking his head at me. I nodded and hopped down from the counter as Demyx opened his eyes. "What are you doing home, Demyx?"

The blond huffed and sat on the couch, arms folded across his chest angrily. "I just got fired for no good reason."

"You're kidding me," Axel hissed, throwing me my shirt and putting his on. "They fired you?"

"Yeah, and they won't tell me why."

"Bummer."

"What were you and Zexion fighting about this morning?" I asked, walking over and sitting at Axel's feet.

Demyx waved his hand carelessly. "I don't even remember. Which means it wasn't important or was a bull faced lie. Either way, it's sorted out now."

"That's good," Axel muttered, massaging my scalp happily, making me smile a bit. "Anything else?"

"Nah…OH!" Demyx turned towards us. "How was the doctor? What'd he/she/it have to say?"

And so Axel filled Demyx in on the doctor and the rehab. Demyx seemed delighted. After a few minutes it fell silent. "…You purr?"

"Huh?" I looked up at Axel, who was trying not to laugh. Demyx was already cracking up.

"You purr! I swear to god!"

"I do not!" I yelled. "What the hell kind of crack are you on now?"

"None, surprisingly!" Axel smiled. "I swear, you were purring!"

"You were," Demyx sniggered. "It was a-fucking-dorible!"

I blushed slightly. This wasn't the first time I had been told I purred, I just didn't believe it. I shoved away from Axel's hands. "I do not…"

Axel smiled, leaning in to my ear. "It kind of turns me on…"

My face turned the color of a tomato. "And you call me a kink, you kink," I hissed, biting at his lip.

"You guys should totally move in together…" Demyx cooed. I stared at him, then at Axel, then back at Demyx. "I'm serious. You guys are inseparable, so why not?"

Axel glanced down at me, shrugging. "You want to?"

I stared at him for a minute, not sure what to say. Then the words came out faster than I could register: "Yes."

"Your apartment?"

"Yeah."

"It's settled then." Axel got up and walked to his room, throwing all his stuff into a box, which wasn't a lot. "I'm moving in with you."

It took all my will power to not start laughing. After dating Hayner for three years, we never moved in together. But after dating Axel for a week, he was moving in with me. Olette would be proud.

XxXxXxXxX

"_AIYAAAAAAA!!!! Axel moved in with you?! OMIGAWD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!"_

"Olette, can you stop screaming?"

"_Sorry! I'm just in shock! I mean, the irony!"_

"Believe me, I know. It took all my will power not to laugh." I was sitting on my couch, watching axel fiddle around my kitchen, trying to find things.

"_What's he doing?"_

"Cooking, or trying to, at least." I smiled. "He's trying to find out where I put everything."

"_He'll figure it out."_

"No doubt."

"_Well, I'm so happy for you! I got to go though. Pence and I are having dinner at my mom's house, and you know how she is if we're not punctual."_

"I know. Talk to you later, Olette." Hung up and laughed as Axel turned to me, hands on his hips. "Having a problem?"

"I can't find your pans!"

I got off the couch with a smile, and walked over, opening the cabinet he was standing in front of. "There."

Axel scowled. "Why is everything so freaking organized?"

"Because I'm a neat freak," I replied, pulling out a pan and handing it to him. "Now that you've experienced the organization that is my kitchen, will you let me help?" I rocked on my heels, hands tucked behind my back.

Axel smiled, pulling me into him. "Actually, I'm thinking of skipping dinner and heading straight for dessert…" I laughed as he pulled me into a lip lock. Then we both yelped as my phone went off. "Does that thing ever rest?" he asked, holding me up.

I shook my head. I glanced at the screen and scowled. "Private number?" I answered it quickly. "Hello?" The line was silent. "Heeeeelloooooo?" I was about to hang up when I heard breathing. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"_You have 72 hours,"_ a deep voice told me. _"If you don't leave now, your fate will be like his."_ I then heard a familiar voice panicking in the background, yelling, "_Don't listen to him, Roxas!"_ There was a loud crack, and the line went dead. I stared at my phone for a moment.

"Who was that?" Axel asked from his position now at the stove.

"I don't know…" I muttered. "They just said that I had 72 hours to leave…"

Axel blinked at me. "What?"

"I don't know…But then I heard someone yell…"

"sound like anyone you know?"

I looked uneasily at Axel. "I could have been wrong, but…the second voice…it sounded like Demyx."

Axel stared at me, his eyes growing wide. He then dropped the pan and bolted out of the apartment to Demyx's. He knocked hurriedly a few times before just kicking the door in. "Demyx!" The apartment was messier than when we had left. Glass littered the floor, and there was no sign of Demyx anywhere. On the counter top was a large roman numeral carved into the surface: III. Axel growled loudly, then kicked the cabinet. "DAMMIT! He agreed to leave Demyx out of this!"

I stared at Axel as he began having his little tantrum. "Axel…What's going on?"

Axel stared me straight in the eye. "Remember how I said that this was more dangerous than you know? This is what I meant." He held out his hand. "Are you sure you don't want to back out, now?"

I stared at his hand for a moment. Then I scowled and took his hand, much to Axel's surprise. "We're in this together. I love you, Axel, and I will stand by you. And Demyx…if someone has put my friend in danger, I'll fight for them too!" I stared Axel down. "I may be a klutz, but I'm stronger than you take me for. Bring it on!"

Axel stared at me for a moment, before smiling. "Fine then…We'll face it together…because you won't take no for an answer." He then pulled out his phone. "But we need some reinforcements. We need the gang."

XxXxXxXxX

"So Xaldin took Demyx?"

"When?"

"I think it was when we went shopping." Axel was pacing back and forth in the living room, running a hand through his hair. The group of five I had meet two days ago were all sitting around my living room.

Saïx looked at me, his gold eyes piercing my soul. "And you got a call?"

I nodded. "They said 72 hours…"

"Most likely wasn't Xaldin himself," Marluxia muttered. "It was probably Xemnas or Vexen. One of the lowers." He glanced up at Axel. "He wouldn't be doing his own dirty work."

"Even so…" Axel clenched my shoulder tightly. "Roxas won't walk away."

"I want to fight," I muttered, standing. The others stared at me. "Yeah, I don't know what's going on, but this guy has hurt my friends long enough. And yes, I'm counting you guys too! I'm not afraid!"

"You should be," Saïx, muttered, clenching his hands together in his lap.

"This kid has spunk," Xigbar said. "I say we teach him how to defend himself, and let him help."

"And get him killed?" Marluxia yelped.

"I'm for it," Larxene hissed.

"Larxene!"

"I want to fight!" I yelled, ignoring the tears that burned my eyes. "Teach me to fight! I won't be in the way, and I won't get killed!"

Axel kneeled in front of me, holding me by the shoulders. "Roxas, I'm about to quote the lamest movie of all time, but I have reason to. Do as I say, and you live. Got that?"

"That's from Snakes on a Plane—you're right that is the lamest movie of all time…"

"Listen to me, Roxas." I stared at Axel. "I mean it. We'll teach you—_I'll_ teach you. But in return, you have to do what I say in regards to this, okay?" I nodded. "If I say go to Olette's, you go to Olette's without an argument. Got it?"

"I don't like it," I hissed. "But I'll do it."

"Good." He kissed my forehead before turning back to the others. "I'll train Roxas. The rest of you, try to figure out where they've got Demyx. We don't have much time, so we need to work fast."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"You're never going to sleep, are you?"

Axel glanced at me, shutting his phone for the bajillionth time in less than an hour, continuing to pace around the apartment. He hadn't sat down once since the gang left, and, frankly, the constant thumping of his feet down the hallway was starting to get on my nerves. "Go to sleep," he muttered, stretching and fighting back a yawn. "You have class tomorrow."

"Not anymore." He blinked at me and I smiled. "I e-mailed my homework to my professor with a note telling her I'm still ill." I walked up beside him and took his hand in mine. "Everything will be fine, I promise." He glanced down at me uncertainly and I sighed. "I know things look rather bleak right now, but if you take a step back and think logically, you'll see it will be fine." I tugged on his arm gently. "Now, will you come to bed?"

The red head sighed, sitting numbly on the couch, which wheezed in protest. I sat calmly next to him. "I'm just worried, Roxie. I know what these guys are capable of."

"Even so," I muttered, "You get more worried up, and all the worst scenarios come to mind, and you panic." I glanced up at his bewildered face. "Am I right?"

Axel sighed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me against him. "I guess so…" He yawned, squeezing me tightly. "What time is it anyway?"

I glanced at the clock on my phone with a smile. "Midnight."

"Goddamn."

I laughed. "Ready for bed now?"

He was about to say something when he got distracted by something outside my window. He smiled. "Check it out!" He got up and clamored to the window, pressing his palm to the pane. "It's snowing!"

"December tenth: the first snowfall of the season," I sighed, walking over. Sure enough, flecks of white were drifting quietly from the charcoal clouds above, turning the ground into a blanket of delicate ivory. "Time to get out the scarf."

"The snow will make this fight a bit harder," Axel told me. He then squeezed me to his side. "But I think we'll manage…" He then grinned his Cheshire cat grin. "Get your coat and stuff! We're going outside!"

"What?!" I yelled as Axel ran into the back bedroom. "Are you kidding me?!"

Axel poked his head down the hall, still grinning. "Nope!" He threw my poofy white coat, which made me look like a giant marshmallow, at me, followed by my red scarf. "We're going to play in the snow before anyone else! It's my dream!"

I put my coat on with a scowl. "You have some fucked up dreams, Axel. Going out into the first snowfall at twelve at night…what the hell? All right, if we're going to do this, throw me my Bear Paws." Ebony boots came flying out of my door, landing at my feet. I pulled them on with a grunt, standing to find Axel bouncing a bit by the door, heavy black jacket over his shoulders and combat boots on his feet. "God, you're such a kid." I grabbed my scarf and followed as Axel burst through the door, flying down the hallway. I caught up with him hallway down the stairwell, where he was doubled over and panting. "You okay?" He nodded slightly and waved me off. I sighed and grabbed his hand, pulling him the rest of the way down. I knocked the outer door with my hip, feeling a blast of cold air through my pajama bottoms. Axel, who suddenly seemed to have oodles of energy, pushed passed me and fell into the nearest snow pile, laughing. I followed after him, scowling. "Are you happy now? I'm freezing my ass off, and you're playing in the snow."

My druggie boyfriend sat up, seemingly unfazed by the temperature. "I am, actually." He stood up, brushing the snow off his jeans. He grabbed at my scarf, which was wrapped around my neck, pulling me into him. He smiled. "You know, against the pure white of the snow, you glow."

"And?" I hissed, not entirely happy with the goose bumps racing up and down my arms and legs.

Axel's fingers caressed my cheeks, oddly warm in the cold. "I just didn't realize how beautiful you were until now…" I felt my heart begin to palpitate a bit, and I felt tremors dance across my spine. He smiled at me lightly, and leaned in, pressing his lips against mine. It was tender and innocent, no lust. And it felt right. I sighed, feeling his arms wrap around me, ceasing my shivers. He pulled away with a smile, and kissed my forehead. "See, I can be sweet."

"Never said you couldn't," I muttered. I was about to continue when I felt a clod of snow come up and smack me in the face. I gasped and glared evenly at Axel, who was laughing. "What the hell?!"

He took a few steps away from me. "I couldn't resist, Rox!" He then giggled nervously as I bent down and gathered handfuls of snow together. "What're you doing?"

I stood up, a large ball of the white stuff in my hand, an evil grin on my face. I chucked it as hard as I could, the ball slapping him in the face. "I couldn't resist," I hissed. More of the powder came flying at me, causing me to scream a bit, running away from it. I heard Axel laugh, and I scowled. "Asshole!" I yelled, throwing more snow at him. This continued for about fifteen minutes, until my fingers turned purple and numb. My cheeks had gained a rosy hue, my lips slightly blue from the cold. Axel was holding my hands in his, somehow, warm ones, kissing my forehead. "Can we go inside now?" I asked passed my chattering teeth.

Axel opened his mouth to respond, and there was a loud crack. We both froze for a moment, staring wide eyed at each other. "Yeah," he hissed after a moment, pushing me gently towards the door and up the stairs, shutting the door quickly behind him.

"What was that?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper. Axel grabbed my hand and started dragging me up the stairs to our floor. "Was that a gun shot?"

"Yes," he answered once we got to the second floor landing. "It was. And it probably wasn't Xaldin, but really don't want to take that chance." He sighed, stopping at our landing, glancing at me evenly. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. Cold, and a little scared, but perfectly fine." We hurried into the apartment, locking the door with haste, and Axel checked the window. "Are you sure it wasn't Xaldin's group?"

Axel thought about it for a minute. "…I'm 95 sure."

"Comforting…" I sat on the couch, huddling into a ball.

He giggled nervously, sitting beside me. "I'm sure everything's kosher."

The two of us fell silent, rubbing our arms nervously. "Maybe we should go to bed…" I muttered after a few minutes.

"Yeah," Axel muttered, leading me into the back bedroom.

XxXxXxXxX

I woke up to "Outsider" by A Perfect Circle blaring from my phone's speakers the next morning. Normally, I would have been jazzed—Outsider was Cloud's ring tone—but since I hadn't gotten to bed until after midnight, I was severely irritated. Groaning, I glanced at my alarm clock over Axel's very spikey head: 10:15 AM. I groaned again, flopping back onto my pillow, throwing my phone across the room with a crash; the battery popped out, much to my satisfaction. The loud noise didn't seem to faze Axel, who twitched and continued snoring. I sighed, snuggling into Axel for warmth. I had forgotten to turn on the heat, and the room was freezing. I groaned, pulling the comforter up to my nose, shivering slightly. I had two choices: I could lay in bed and shiver my ass off, or get up and turn on the heat and freeze my ass off in the process. Fuck.

After a moment of fighting with myself, I threw the blankets off and placed my bare feet on the cold hardwood floor. I whimpered, rubbing my arms as I padded to the hallway. I looked at the thermostat with a yelp. The apartment had reached a low of 9°C(That's 48° for you Fahrenheit readers). I whined a bit more, turning the heat up to a good 25°C, before running quickly to the bedroom and taking a flying leap into the bed. As I quickly scrambled under the covers, a part of me wondered if my antics had woke Axel up. Well, I got my answer when he rolled over and looked at me evenly through eyes that weren't quite there yet. "Sorry," I whispered. "Did I wake you?"

He shook his head slowly, rubbing at his eyes with his palms with a grunt. He then took me in his arms, pulling me close and laying his chin in my hair. "Cold?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. I nodded feverently, and he held me tighter, his hands running up and down my arms, leaving blossoming sparks of heat wherever they touched. As good as the heat felt, it didn't really help the rest of me. "Tired?" he asked, fighting back a yawn.

"Not particularly," I muttered, reaching up to comb my fingers through his hair. It was soft, and I could hear a gentle sigh from him as I worked his scalp. "I'm wide awake. You can sleep more if you want."

The red head shook his head slowly, releasing me and sitting up. He wasn't wearing a shirt, yet he didn't seem fazed by the fact that I just barely turned on the heat. "I've got that rehab thing in an hour…and after that I need to take you to a shooting range." He smiled vaguely as I blinked up at him. "Got to start some where."

A part of me registered the idea of me with a gun, the other half…well, it made me yell this: "AREN'T YOU FREEZING?!?!?!?!?!" I sat up, holding my arms against myself in an attempt to hold onto some warmth. "It's freezing in here!"

Axel kind of glanced around before throwing the blankets off and standing up. "Not particularly," he replied, standing in the middle of the room in nothing but his boxers. "Cold doesn't usually faze me much…" He looked around. "…Hey Roxie, where are my pants?"

I shrugged, pulling the blankets up. "You took them off last night, not me."

Axel sighed, looking under the bed and pulling out his heavy, black denim jeans. "Found them!" He pulled them on with fluid ease, followed by his hoodie. "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Nothing," I chattered. "If you've got that rehab thing in an hour, you need to leave soon." I thought for a minute. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

He smiled at me, walking over and kissing my forehead. "I'm absolutely sure, Roxas."

I sighed. "All right. I need to call my brother back anyway. Plus, no doubt Olette's going to want to go shopping or something."

"That's fine. But Roxas…" He held my shoulders gently, but firmly. "I need you to promise me something. You cannot, under any circumstances, tell anyone about this until it's all over. Okay?"

As my azure eyes looked evenly into his lime ones, a part of me wondered why, while the other part understood the dangers of telling the others. I nodded, not wanting to put them in any danger. "Call me when you get out, okay?"

He nodded. "So you can get home?"

"You make it sound like I'm doing something illegal!"

My boyfriend kissed my forehead with a chuckle. "I love you, Roxas."

I pulled him down to me and kissed him. "I love you too." I watched him leave the room, smiling, and listened as the front door opened, then clicked shut. I glanced around with a sigh. "Well," I muttered. "I can either sit here and pray for warmth, or I can get up and do something." I threw the blankets off and walked over to my phone, popping the battery back in. Once the phone had reloaded, it told me I had two missed calls—one was Cloud, and the other was Olette. Sighing, I called my brother back first. "What the hell does he want?"

XxXxXxXxX

Cloud had called to ask me if I was coming to Dad's funeral. As much as I wanted to pay respects, I said no. He then asked if I was coming to the wedding in three weeks, at which I yelped and agreed to come. When I called Olette, I got an earful about how I should never turn of my phone in case there's an emergency. After she had calmed down, she asked me to meet her at the mall to go shopping, as I had predicted. I agreed, and so, there I was, wrapped in my coat and scarf, freezing, standing outside Borders, where Olette told me to meet her. Normally, I wouldn't have minded so much, but today, I would have rather died than been there. OF course, I wasn't about to tell Olette that—she'd kill me.

"Oh, Roxas!" I turned, finding Olette walking toward me. She had a thick blue jacket on, and her pale green scarf that I had given her three years ago. She smiled warmly, despite the nipping air. "How are you this morning?"

"Tired, cold, and bitchy, but what else is new?" I muttered in response, irritated and rubbing my arms furiously. "Of all the days to go shopping, Olette, why did you pick today?"

"Because it's snowing," she said with a smile.

I sighed in annoyance. "I should have known…" I sighed before turning to the door of Borders. "Are we going inside or not?"

Olette looked thoughtful, tapping her chin; I was about ready to rip her hand off her arm by this point. "Well, I guess," she muttered after a few minutes. "We can sit in the café for a while and get warm." She then grinned. "Then we can go shopping!"

"Yes, fine," I hissed, half jogging to the door of the bookstore. "Can we just go in? It's freezing!" Olette laughed as I pulled the door open, shoving her in to the store. I sighed happily. The store was nice and warm, sending tremors up my spine. We were greeted by cheerful cries of , "Welcome!" and "Can I help you?" as we made our way up the stairs to the second floor of the shop, where the café's sweet smells greeted us. "I haven't been here in so long," I sighed, taking off my scarf as we sat at one of the tables. "Not since…"

"…We came shopping for Hayner's birthday in November," Olette finished, taking her own scarf off her neck and hanging it on her chair. She sighed, watching me for a look of pain; I gave her none. "Sorry, I forgot."

I let out an annoyed, "Pfft!" and crossed my arms. "Puleeze," I hissed. "I'm not going to let him ruin my favorite store/café combo." I smiled, stretching my feet out under the table. "Even if he walked in right now, I wouldn't walk away."

"What about his new girlfriend?"

I stared at Olette a minute. "…Nah. She's my friend too. I can't hold it against her; she didn't know Hayner and I had been dating."

The brunette smiled. "That's good. You're extremely forgiving Roxas. I think that's why most people are attracted to you."

"Maybe," I muttered. Then I grinned, tucking my hands behind my head as my sense of vanity kicked in. "Or maybe it's because I'm so drop-dead gorgeous." My best friend laughed and I pretended to pout. "No?"

"Of course," she cried, stifling her giggles with her fist. "After all, everyone, man and woman alike, fawns all over you everywhere you go!" I flashed a cheesy grin as she shook her head. "Are we going to just sit here, or are we going to order something?"

I stood up and realized I had no money with me. I sat back down sullenly. "You can. I'm broke." I sighed sadly. I totally wanted a mocha, but I wasn't about to ask Olette to buy for me. But if she offered…that was a-whole-nother story.

"What do you want?" she asked, answering my silent prayer as she dug her wallet out of her purse. "I'll buy. You bought for me once, I need to pay you back." I forgot about that. Oops.

"Mocha," I told her. "Double shot chocolate and an espresso shot." I normally wasn't into the fancy coffee drinks, but everyone needs a change from the ordinary sometimes. She kind of stared at me for a moment before I sighed. "Alright, I'll go up with you and order it myself." My pregnant friend smiled in relief as I followed her up to the counter. I stared for a moment at the girl at the counter. She was a bit taller than me with platinum hair draped over her left shoulder. She smiled tenderly at me, her azure orbs sparkling knowingly at me. "Naminé?" I asked uncertainly.

The young woman behind the counter nodded slowly, adjusting her pure white dress, which I was pretty sure was against the café's dress code. "Hello, Roxas," she muttered in her quiet, willowy voice. "How have you been? Kairi told me about what happened. Are you any better?" Based on the fact that this girl could tell everything about you just by looking at you, I guessed that she knew I was doing decently, and was just asking me questions to start conversation. She pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "Kairi's on break right now, but she'll be back in a minute." She then smiled hauntingly at us again. "What can I get you guys?"

Olette was quick to order a peppermint hot chocolate, and I relayed my order to Naminé. As the ghostly girl turned away, Olette turned to me. "You know her?"

"Yeah," I muttered, tucking my hands non-chalontly in my pockets. "She and her sister lived next to me in the apartments for six months. Kairi, her sister, is the one Hayner was cheating on me with." I leaned against the counter. "They're both sweet girls, and while I wished they didn't leave before, I'm kind of glad they did now."

"ROXAS!" I looked toward the stair case, where Kairi was standing, tying her red hair into a ponytail. She walked over to me, giving me a big hug. She then pulled away from me, holding my shoulders and looking at me through worried blue eyes. "Are you okay? I'm totally sorry about what happened at Aerythum's and about Hayner and—oh, I just feel like such an awful person!"

I laughed, pushing Kairi's hands off my shoulders. "Don't even worry about it," I told her. "I'm fine now. I was just…shocked at the time is all."

"I know the whole story," she sighed, leaning against the counter. "Hayner told me everything when he was taking me home from Aerythum's. I felt horrible." She looked at me sincerely. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"I was never mad at you," I told her just as Naminé brought Olette and I our drinks. Kairi smiled thankfully. "So, what's going on with you two now?" I ignored the giggle from Naminé as Kairi puffed out her cheeks in a comedic angry way.

"I dumped him about a day later," she growled. "He was a dick anyway. A total control freak. Ugh." She held her hands away from herself. "I couldn't stand it. He started getting all clingy and I was like, 'EW! Get off,' you know?"

"He does that," I muttered as I took a sip of my mocha. "Only reason I was able to stand it was because I like feeling needed."

"Ugh, I couldn't deal with it…" The sisters then eyed me curiously. "So? What are _you_ up to now?"

"Well," I began, sighing heavily. "You remember the red head who carried me out of Aerythum's?" She nodded. "Well…I'm dating him now." She let out a squeal and begged for details, which I gave her, though rather reluctantly. I skipped over a few details, like the drugs and the recent kidnapping of his best friend, but she seemed enthralled anyway.

"Wow," she muttered, looking like a little girl who was told the most romantic story in the entire world. "You're so lucky."

I snorted, nearly spitting my coffee back into the cup. "Sure, I guess." I pushed off the counter top. "Well, I'll let you get back to work. Besides, Olette and I have some shopping to do." I gave both girls a quick hug goodbye, and Olette and I left, pushing back out into the snow and blistering wind.

"First stop," Olette announced. "Sanrio!"

XxXxXxXxX

I got a text from Axel at about 2:30, telling me he was heading home and would be waiting. While Olette wanted to shop some more, I finally managed to pry myself away. I came home with a few pairs of jeans, a new pair of Bear Paws, some nice tops and a fuzzy blanket—this last item made my day. Axel was looking at a air of the new jeans as I was hanging up one of my new tops—this one was black with long white sleeved, which were stripped in a dark violet. The sleeves were far too long, but I liked it anyway; besides, I couldn't go a size smaller, the body of the shirt stuck to me and was slightly suffocating. "Damn you're small!" Axel commented, holding up a pair of the jeans I had bought. "I didn't realize I was living with a midget!"

I gave him the optic death ray. "If you must know," I hissed. "I'm only five foot. I also, if you haven't noticed, buy mostly girls pants because they fit me better. Those pants you are holding are skinny jeans." I could feel the heat in my cheeks with every word.

Green orbs blinked curiously at me. "You wear skinny jeans?"

I know my face just got more red at that comment. "Not a lot, but, yeah. They're a guilty pleasure of mine." I snatched the jeans and bag away. "Now leave my clothes alone…Oh." I reached into the bag and pulled out a shirt, throwing it at him. It was a plain white shirt, but it had back and red trim and a hood. My red head blinked curiously at me as he held it up. "I didn't know if you'd like it," I muttered passed a blush. "And I didn't really know your size. You can take it back if you want."

"Nah, I like it." In one fluid movement, Axel ripped his hoodie off and placed the new shirt over his bare torso. Remarkably, the shirt fit him perfectly, and looked pretty good on him. He smiled at me, turning slightly. "Well? How does it look?"

I smiled softly, wishing I could banish the very evident blush on my face. "I like it," I whispered, tucking the bag away. "Why else would I have bought it?"

"I like it, Roxas." He kissed my forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome…"

The rehabilitating drug addict chuckled at my cuteness. "C'mon, we need to get you started on training so we can get Demyx sooner." I nodded and followed Axel out to his car. The drive was quiet(And cold beyond all reason!!!!), but we pulled into the parking lot of a shooting range. The parking lot was empty save for two other cars, and all was quiet. We were lucky, because Xigbar apparently ran the place.

Let's get one thing straight: I know nothing about guns, or any other kind of weaponry. Axel trying to teach me the basic components of the gun was like trying to teach a two year old infant how to run a country—it wasn't going to work. He finally gave up on that and taught me how to actually shoot it. At first, I had the hardest time doing it, but after the fifth try, I got it. Grant it, I wasn't making lethal shots, but they were good by beginner standards.(According to Axel, anyway.)

It continued like this for a few days—Axel going to rehab, me doing work or school, then going out to practice on the shooting range. After four days,(That would make it the fourteenth of December) Saïx called Axel and told him we had to act. Now.

"But Roxas isn't ready!" he yelled into the phone for the sixth time. Yes, I was counting—I was only cooking dinner, it's not like I had anything else better to do. "He can barely fire a gun as it is! There's no way--!" He fell silent, clenching his teeth tightly, his hand balling into a tight fist at his side. He tried to argue a few times before staring at his phone in slight shock. "…That fucker hung up on me!" He threw his phone down, swearing loudly. We didn't talk during dinner that night, and I basically left Axel alone. "Are you ready?" he asked later that night.

I was sitting on the couch watching Rent, wrapped up in my new fuzzy blanket. I patted the couch beside me, urging him to sit down. "To be honest," I muttered, pausing the musical. "I don't think I'll ever be ready. Neither will you." I looked at him evenly. "Axel…I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

He sighed sadly—apparently that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear—and pulled me into his arms. "I just don't want you getting killed."

"I won't," I promised. "We'll all get out together."

Axel sighed, clutching my hand tightly. "Tomorrow…we strike."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Neither Axel or I slept very well that night, if at all.

I know I spent most, if not all, of the night staring at the ceiling. My heart was hammering against my ribs about what we were going to do. The few times Axel grabbed my hand in the night, I could feel his heart doing a frantic rabbit-dance as well. We finally couldn't stand it anymore and got up around six, which would have normally been asinine for both of us. But given the situation, I don't think either of us minded too much. We sat quietly in the living room, not saying a word, as we waiting for the gang to show up. We were going in together, as a team. Around seven thirty, they slowly started showing up. Saïx and Marluxia were first, soon followed by Xigbar, Luxord, and Larxene. We were silent as Saïx showed us a basic diagram of our plan: We were going to the abandoned warehouses by the train station. Luxord, Xigbar, Larxene and Saïx would go to the east side of the station, while Marluxia, Axel and I would go west. From there, we would split. Axel and Xigbar were told to go to the high ground, Marluxia and Larxene around back. Luxord and Saïx would be trying to sneak in. My job? Basically, keep my eye on Demyx, and if anyone hurt him, take a shot.

We went over the plan a bit more, and left around nine. We all parked about two blocks away from the station and walked in. At the team point, Axel handed me my gun. "Are you sure you can do this?" he whispered, cocking his magnum with ease. "If anyone comes up behind you, just start shooting them, okay?"

I nodded, following Marluxia around the western gate. I held my breath, nodding when Marluxia pointed forward and darted left. Axel and I came to a stairwell, and Axel sighed. He kissed me quickly and darted up the stairwell as quickly as he could. I proceeded to the nearest window of the warehouse. I peeked in.

Demyx was handcuffed to a large metal beam in the center of the warehouse. He was a bit battered and bleeding, but otherwise seemed fine. A tall man was standing beside him. He had long black dreadlocks pulled into a ponytail, and these ugly-ass side burns; he was slightly intimidating. He was muttering something, though I couldn't understand him for the life of me. To the left was a taller man with long silvery hair and gold eyes. He looked Mexican to me, which made me chuckle a bit. He was polishing a revolver quietly, not really paying attention. I squinted a bit and saw Axel and Xigbar in the rafters. I swallowed hard; I was certain they'd get caught. I glanced back at the targets. Wait…hadn't Axel said there were three…?

"Drop your weapon."

I froze, feeling a gun barrel against my spine. I dropped my gun, holding my hands up in defenselessness. Screw what Axel said, I didn't want to die today! I then felt a hand grab my shoulder and shove me into the warehouse. The man with dreadlocks looked over and smiled. "Well…it seems the mouse wants to play hero." He looked up at the man who grabbed me. "Excellent, Vexen." He walked over to me and grabbed my chin tightly. I tried to pull away and let out a whimper, feeling a bruise begin to form on my jaw. "I see why Axel would be so concerned," he muttered quietly. I glanced up, seeing Xigbar hold Axel, who was attempting to come down to me. The man squeezed my chin a bit harder. "Well? Does the child have anything to say?"

I gave an annoyed "keh". "Sorry," I hissed. "I don't talk to trash."

Something came down on the back on my head, hard, and I heard a resounding crack, not only around the warehouse, but in my head as well. My vision went black for a moment, which I shook off quickly. The ebony tressed man smirked at me. "Sharp tongue you have there," he muttered, his arms tucked behind his back. "That will get you in trouble…" He grabbed me by the arm and threw me over to where Demyx was.

"Are you okay?" Demyx whispered worriedly. He was genuinely concerned, even though he was in a lot more pain than I was. I nodded and sat up beside him quietly.

"Well," the man muttered, and I sensed a monologue coming on. "Seeing as the child was brave enough to come this far, if not foolish enough, I think we owe him one thing." He turned to me, a glint in his dark eyes. "What will that be, young one?"

I felt my heart palpitate. He was giving me one chance. I could ask for life. But as I looked at Demyx, I decided against it. "Free Demyx." I said. My neighbor stared at me. "He's the reason I'm here. Let him go."

The man stared at me, then nodded. The Mexican-looking one undid the handcuffs and shoved Demyx away from me. "You've been freed," the leader said slowly. "Take that now, while you have the chance." Demyx stared at me, and I gestured toward the ceiling. The blond looked up before smiling faintly. He then left, running out of the warehouse. "Now then…" I felt a gun barrel to my temple, and my body stiffened. "That was noble of you, boy." The leader said. "Most would have spared their own lives." He smirked. "But I guess you're just that selfless, aren't you?" He came over and grabbed my chin again. "Because of that, I'll give you another choice. I'm feeling rather generous today. I can have Xemnas here shoot you in the temple, the back, the chest…" He smiled sadistically. "Or perhaps that pretty little face of yours." He stepped back. "Make your choice."

I whimpered slightly. I didn't want to die yet—who wants to die, anyway?! And he was giving me choice of my death. AND he brought up shooting me in the face. Awe, hell-fucking-no! "Please," I whispered, feeling tears I hadn't realized were there leave trails down my cheeks. "I don't want to die."

He leaned down, inches away from my face. "…child…do you fear death?"

Fear it? No. But who wants to die when their in the best moments of their life? I think I found my soul mate, my brother was getting married, and my best friend was pregnant. Plus, I was graduating soon. Why would I want to miss any of that? "No." I whispered.

He smirked. "Then you won't mind…"

There was two loud cracks, and I felt a searing pain in my left shoulder. I crumpled to the floor, grasping my shoulder as I screamed, though my cries were drowned out by gunfire and yelling. Demyx ran to my side, pulling me up. His eyes were a dark emerald, and he looked ready to murder. He rushed me to a corner of the warehouse where I would be safe, then ran out into the fray of bullets. I sat curled up in that corner for what seemed like hours, though in reality it was only a half hour. Once the gunfire had died, I held my breath. I didn't know if I wanted to know the winners. But when Axel came into view and embraced me tightly, I exhaled a sigh I hadn't realized I had been holding, wrapping my arms around his neck despite the pain in my arm.

"It was so close," my boyfriend whispered. "He was so close to killing you…I'm just glad you're safe." He held me away from him. He scanned me briefly with his teary green eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Scared," I whispered, my voice shaking violently. "And my shoulder hurts, and I have a pounding headache, but yes. I'm fine." I buried my face in his obsidian sweatshirt. "Just hold me, goddamn it." And he did. We rocked to and fro for a few minutes until he picked me up and carried me out of the warehouse to the others. They all agreed to regroup in my apartment, where Marluxia was going to take care of everyone's wounds.

XxXxXxXxX

"Roxas, dear, you're going to need stitches here." Marluxia clicked his tongue disapprovingly as he dug into a small medical bag for supplies. I sighed, irritated. Both Axel and Marluxia were fussing over the fact that I had been hit over the head with a .22 Magnum, then shot in the shoulder with a revolver. The bullet had come out cleanly enough, and the pink-haired man had managed to clean it pretty well. As for my head, however, I had blood all up in my hair, and it hurt, and I was frankly pissed over it. I could tell, this was going to be a bitch to clean up. I yelped as I felt the surgeon's needle pierce my scalp. "Oh hush," Marluxia muttered. "It'll stop hurting in a minute." Yeah, that's what he had said about my shoulder, and it was still throbbing. "Now hold still."

I clenched my teeth tightly, digging my nails into my pant legs. Everyone else was chilling, having already been treated. Xigbar had been hit in the legs, Axel in the arms. Luxord had hit his head a bit on the rafters. As for Saïx and Larxene, they weren't hurt at all. It kind of pissed me off. As soon as Demyx had gotten to the apartment, he called Zexion, and both of them were cuddling on my couch. It was kind of sweet, but irritating none the less.

Larxene had left for god knows what, and burst through the door just as Marluxia made a sound of success as he finished his work. "Holla, bitches!" she yelled, brandishing two bags. She collapsed on the couch next to Axel. "Beer!" A few of the gang cheered as Larxene tossed them one. She looked at one in her hand thoughtfully before looking at me. "Do you want one kid? You've kind of earned it."

I blinked, looking a bit shocked. "Uh…"

"C'mon, Roxie," Axel said passed a swallow of the beer in his hand. "Live a little. We gotta celebrate this momentous occasion!"

"I've never drank a day in my life," I muttered quietly. Everyone stared at me in disbelief.

Then Larxene began laughing. "YOU PICKED A STERILE ONE!" she cackled, slapping Axel on the back, ignoring his small, "ow". "THIS IS GREAT!"

"Not everyone's a drunk like you, Larx," the red head muttered. He patted his knee, and I crawled over, sitting on his lap. "Try it," he said, handing me his beer. "If you don't like it, fine."

I took the can hesitantly. The liquid swirled a bit as I twirled the can slowly. After a moment, I took a small drink. I didn't particularly like it; it was bitter and left an after taste I wasn't too happy with. I handed it back to Axel, a bitter look on my face. "That's disgusting," I muttered.

"I agree," Demyx told me, holding up a bottle with a colorful liquid inside. "That's why I drink wine coolers!"

He handed the bottle to Larxene, who handed it to me. I inspected it a bit and sniffed it. While I could still smell the alcohol, there was a fruity scent to it as well. I took a hesitant sip. It wasn't that bad, really; there was a sweet, berry-like flavor to it, and no after-taste. I could feel the alcohol on my throat, but it wasn't bad. I handed the bottle to Demyx. "Not bad," I muttered. "Where'd you get it?"

"The magical bag of doom," the blond man cheered, throwing me one; I read the label: Strawberry Passion. "That one's my fave," Demyx told me.

As I opened the bottle, I heard Marluxia mutter something to Saïx about it being, "Too early to drink," but brushed it off as I glanced at the clock: 11:50 Am. Eh. Whatever.

We started talking animatedly about what happened, starting with what happened to Demyx, and ending with the shoot out. Then, somehow, the conversation turned to sex and porn. It might have been the alcohol's fault. By 1:30, Demyx and Zexion were nowhere to be seen, but I could hear a pounding noise next door. Larxene was a bit tipsy and giggling a lot. Axel, Xigbar and Luxord seemed basically unaffected by the alcohol. As for me…well, I was getting a bit sleepy, and was curled up at Axel's side, my third wine cooler in my hand. And that was about the time it got interesting.

Larxene pulled me away from Axel—by this time, I was too drunk to really get what she was doing—and straddled over Axel's hips on the couch. I guess Axel tried to protest, because she started screaming, "No! I want you Axel! Take me now! Fuck me until you can't fuck me anymore!" And then she started making out with him. I think I saw him glance at me, but I can't quite remember. I kind of blacked out after that.

XxXxXxXxX

**(A/N: WARNING!!!! MAJOR LEMON SCENTEDNESS AHEAD!!!)**

"Roxas, wake up…Roxie. Roxie." I felt someone shaking my arm. I opened my eyes slowly; I caught a glance of the sunset outside and I sat up, immediately regretting it as all the blood rushed to my head. I moaned, clutching my head. I looked up slowly, Axel's insanely red hair blinding me. He smiled softly. "Headache?"

"Major," I moaned. I then realized I was sitting on the floor, and everyone had left. The pounding next door had stopped, and all was quiet. I remembered Larxene, and I looked at Axel again. "Did you make out with Larxene?"

Axel blinked at me and laughed. I scowled. "Nah," he muttered, pulling up onto the couch, holding me in his arms. "But you did." He laughed as my eyes widened. "You pulled her off me and told her, 'no, he's mine!' Next thing I know, you and her are on the floor, swapping spit." I blanched, and he sniggered. "It was highly amusing."

"I'm glad I don't remember." I smiled slowly. "But you know…" I did a small tumble, straddling over his hips, a smirk on my face. "I've still got a bit of that sexual energy in me…" His eyes lit up. "You want to?"

"Want to?" He picked me up and carried me into my room, lying me on the bed. "I've been waiting for this for a while!" He chuckled, attacking my neck with his teeth as he slid my pants off in a single movement. I tried to suppress a moan, but it just ended up louder than intended. I heard Axel growl sexually, pulling my shirt off.

"Oh," I hissed. "Not fair!" I pulled his sweatshirt off his back, baring his chest. I pulled his mouth to mine by his hair, sucking on his tongue lustfully. "Take your pants off," I whispered, my breaths beginning to come in quick bursts. I moaned softly, feeling Axel's hands trailing down my body. "I want you," I whispered. "Right here. Right now." My back arched against his hands, my chest pressing against his. I wrapped my legs around his waist just as he kicked off his pants.

Axel sighed, his lips molding around mine. His hands began erotically mapping my body, sending burning sensations down my spine. I felt a moan bubble in my throat, which was a breathy sigh in Axel's mouth; of course, I had the _Rules of the Uke_ against me—I was smaller than Axel, not to mention younger and more feminine looking. Axel captured my tongue, sucking on it lightly, making me moan a bit louder, my lower body grinding against his. My hands combed themselves into the red head's hair, tangling themselves into a firm grip, holding Axel in place as his mouth slid down my neck to my décolleté. I yelped slightly, feeling Axel bite lustfully at the bare skin of my collar bone, but the cry evanesced into a moan of his name. My nearly non-existent nails dug into Axel's back as the red head left an icy-hot trail from my décolleté to my navel with his tongue. I arched against Axel's tongue, moaning rather loudly. Axel's hand slid under me and held me up, pulling me against him, his hot member brushing against my leg slightly. He pulled me into a sitting position in his lap, his mouth back at the base of my throat, feeling the vibrations of my voice as I expelled a series of short moans in quick succession. My hands left his hair, dragging down his chest, over vaguely defined muscles, massaging his chest in circular motions.

Axel's hands slid up my chest, teasing my nipples as he drew circles around them with his fingertips, followed quickly by his tongue. I moaned softly, feeling them perk and grow slightly hard. He nipped at the curve in my neck, smiling against my skin as I half moaned wantonly, and half giggled. Axel lied me down, lying atop me. I ground my hips into Axel's, making him moan slightly. "Now," I whispered, my hips bucking underneath him. "Do me…now… please…" Axel nodded, sitting up and pulling me to him, sitting me on his lap, my back against his chest. He lied his chin on my shoulder, his arms wrapping around my waist and cupping my already growing member. He gave it a squeeze sending a pleasurable pain up my spine. "Ah…!" He stroked me lightly, teasing me, whispering lightly, though I can't recall what he was talking about. I felt his pelvis grind against me, and I moaned slightly, my hands running impatiently up and down his thighs. The foreplay had been enough, but this teasing was too much.

Axel's hands wrapped around my waist, and stood slightly as he lowered me back onto him. His manhood pierced the cavity slowly, and I let out a cry, my muscles clamping in a fit of pain. He tried again, going deeper this time; I cried again, which evanesced into a moan. I furrowed my brow, moaning a soft, "Axel," as he caressed my sides. He tried a third time, which was the easiest try of all. As I came down, I contracted my muscles, pulling Axel further inside, hitting the sweet spot. I gasped loudly, arching my back against his chest, my hands clawing Axel's thighs and breaking the skin. Axel moaned too. He moved his hips as I came up, his pelvis rising as I came down, beginning a rhythm as we began panting slightly, whispering each other's names. The bouncing motion sent a pleasurable buzz attacking my head. The friction increased and I began begging. "Faster," I pleaded, my face tinged red and sweat dripping down my face. "Faster…harder…please!" We tried, and the friction was so intense. It was like a fire pulsing through my being, and I know in my heart Axel felt it too. With one last thrust of his hips, Axel's member plunged up to the pleasure point, sending a shot of ecstasy up my spine. My azure orbs snapped open, my back arching forcibly against Axel's chest, pushing him back, a loud moan of his name ripping from my throat; I let out a gasp as I released my seed before becoming a moaning heap in Axel's lap. At the same time, Axel cried out my name, the friction sending his own orgasm through him, bowing his spine against my back and sending his own seed into me, before dislodging himself and laying beside me on the bed. We both stared into each other's eyes, breathing heavily with what was left of the carnally intense moment. My red head pulled me to his chest, kissing my forehead quietly, pushing my bangs away from my sweaty face. He whispered my name a few times, holding me against his chest. I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of his arms; strong, despite his thin frame. And, anti-climactically…

I fell asleep like that, a smile on my face.

XxXxXxXxX

I'll tell you what: In all my twenty-one years, I have never woken up in so much pain as I did the next morning. I had the biggest fucking headache of my life, which made everything I looked at pulsate. My shoulder was killing me, and I couldn't really feel my left arm. Not to mention my ass—that was the most painful of all. Not to mention sticky. I sat up, groaning at the pain, and glanced at the clock: 10:15 AM. I sighed with exhaustion. I almost considered rolling over and going back to sleep, until I saw that I had a text on my phone from Axel. _Roxas_, it said. _I have work until 3. Chill out today, okay? You deserve it. BTW, you're cute when you sleep._ I sighed. No reason to go back to sleep. Knowing my luck, Olette would call me and want to go shopping again. Instead, I rolled out of bed, gathered a pair of pale blue lounge pants and one of my new shirts—black with "I made you a cookie, but I eated it" written in red—and walked to the bathroom, buck naked and sore. I turned on the water for a hot shower before turning to the mirror.

I had a faint bruise on my chin, not to mention love bites that peppered my neck and shoulders. My hair was messier than I had ever seen in my life, which was some sight to see, honestly. I sighed, stepping into the shower with a relieved sigh. Hot shower on aches and pains equals "Omigawd heaven!" I sighed, running my hands over my head, thinking over things. It was the sixteenth of December—two days before my birthday. Hadn't bothered to tell Axel when my birthday was, but then again, a part of didn't seem to mind so much. Birthdays were never much of a big deal to me, not even as a kid. Besides, it's not like I expected anything from him; we had only been dating for exactly two weeks.

I came out of my shower to find a few texts from Olette, asking me to call her as soon as I got her messages. Just to amuse her, I did while I straightened my messy hair. "Was there any reason in particular why you wanted me to call you?" I asked after about twenty minutes of rambling about my sex life.

"_OH, right! I have fabulous news!"_

"I figured."

Olette giggled excitedly, which cued me that she was going to start screaming. _"Not only am I pregnant, but Pence proposed last night! I'm engaged!"_

I dropped my flatiron in surprise, my mouth widening to a gapping hole. "Are you serious?! Oh my god! I'm so happy for you Olette! This is great!"

"_I know! I was hopping we could all get together tonight over here for a celebratory dinner!"_

"Totally!" I picked up my flatiron and continued, considerably in a better mood than I was an hour ago. "Tell me what time to be at your house, and Axel and I will be there!"

"_I'm thinking six. What do you think?"_

"Sounds great to me! See you then, Olette!"

XxXxXxXxX

"Where are we going?"

I scowled at Axel as we climbed into his Mustang. "Pence and Olette's. I told you that."

"Why again?" Axel was a bit out of it, probably because he was tired.

"They just got engaged."

"Oh yeah." The drive to the townhouse was quiet. When we arrived, we were greeted by Sora, who promptly glomped me.

"Can you believe it?" he asked me, his brunette head bouncing around the room as he dragged me and Axel inside. "First she's preggos, and then she's engaged! It's so fantastic!" He grabbed his boyfriend's hands. "We should be next, Riku!"

Riku was the quiet one. He had hair and eyes like Kadaj's, but he was taller, and more muscular. He shrugged off-handedly. He was used to Sora's playful banter.

Dinner started soon after, with myself and Axel, Sora and Riku, Olette and Pence, Pence's parents and Olette's parents all around the small townhouse. We shared a fair few embarrassing stories with each other over food. Once everyone had finished, I decided to help Olette with dishes.

"Love is amazing," Olette sighed after a few minutes. "It's such a wonderful feeling…to be in love I mean." She smiled at me. "You know?"

I nodded. "Just being able to confide all you feel…and know they won't hate you…they are the beginning and end of all that you are. Everything…and nothing. You die with them…and without them. They complete all that you are." I looked up, and Olette was staring at me as though I had just told her the meaning of life. "What?"

"…" The brunette smiled softly, her eyes glistening. "You understand love better than I do…" She went back to drying a plate. "You're truly in love, Roxas…and I'm so happy for you."

I sighed, plunging another plate into the abyss of soapy water. "I thought what I had with Hayner was love, but…It feels so much different with Axel. Things that happened on a regular basis with Hayner…there's more in it with Axel. There's spark…and love. Not this sense of lust that controls your body into thinking it's love." I handed the place to Olette. "I knew it was different after the first date." I sighed blissfully. "It's so much better than I ever could have imagined."

She smiled at me. "It's pure, untainted love. Do you think that happens every day?"

"No…not for lifetimes."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The day after was pretty uneventful—I went to school, Axel went to rehab, we both went to work, ta-da, the end, good night. But my birthday was something else.

I had another class at 6:30 in the morning. I had set the alarm for five and was more than a hundred percent sure that I would get there early. Instead, I was awakened by Axel shoving my arm, asking if I had class. "Yes," I hissed in this annoyed voice.

He stared at me for a few minutes. "Roxie…it's ten to six."

"What!" I yelped, sitting upright and staring at my clock. Axel was right. I flew out of bed and got ready in record time of ten minutes, and left. I would later learn that my alarm was set for five in the afternoon. Not only did I arrive to class late, but we had a pop quiz about Sigmund Freud and his theories on child development. And I couldn't remember anything for the life of me. I ended up getting a lecture from my professor about the importance of punctuality, which landed me with five minutes for lunch before work. I decided to screw it and headed straight for work.

The thing about Aerythum's Café is that the staff size is so small, everyone remembers everything you've ever told them about you. So when I walked in, I was immediately greeted with a hug from Aerith. "Happy Birthday, Roxas," she said quietly.

"Thanks," I muttered. "Sorry I'm not in uniform…I just had class, so--"

"Don't worry," my boss said with a smile. "Just sign in and get to work."

I nodded and did as I was told. It went over pretty smooth, a few co-workers wishing me happy birthday, as well as a few regular customers. I figured my bad luck streak was over. Then the crazy cat lady from my apartments came in. She was still wearing her hideous moo-moo, and had a cat in her arms. She had a bulky black purse large enough to smuggle a nuclear bomb. Her silver hair was pulled back into a tight bun, giving her a face-lift. Aerith tried to explain to her that cat's were not allowed in the café, and the woman started screeching about injustice and how Sniffles wanted equal treatment as well. Aerith finally sat her down at one of the tables I was bussing. I stared at the ceiling in a "why God…?" moment before walking over to her. It was work, and every once in a while, we get crazies. I put on a smile. "Hello Mrs. Harada! What can I get for you this afternoon?"

She stared at me with beady eyes, scowling. "I want Udon with tofu. And some sushi rolls with the wasabi on top. Bring me a Raspberry iced tea, and when I'm done, I want peppermint Mochi."

I blinked at her. "Um…ma'am…this is a café. We don't have--"

She cut me off, standing over me. "Listen you! I've worked in the food industry for twenty years! And if a customer wants something, you make sure they get it! You understand!"

I took a step back, not used to be yelled at by customers unless I really screwed up. "I understand ma'am, but we are a café," I reminded her calmly, wishing with all my might I could sock her across the jaw, as horrible as it sounds. "We don't have Udon, sushi, or Mochi." She glowered at me and I sighed. "All right, I'll see what I can do." I started to walk away when she expelled an irritating AHEM! I turned back, trying my best to not strangle her. "Yes ma'am?"

She held up her cat, a beautiful Russian Blue. "You forgot Sniffles' order."

I twitched. "What will Sniffles have?"

"Non-fat milk in a saucer. And some cheese. Sniffles loves cheese." 

"All right," I muttered, walking away as I made a strangling motion with my hands, causing a few co-workers to snigger. I always ended up with the crazy ones, and my co-workers knew that meant a comedy show. It was out of pure luck that I hadn't been fired yet with the antics I pulled. After about twenty minutes commiserating with Selphie, who was working in the back, I came out with a modified order. 

"What is this?" Mrs. Harada snapped at me.

"Well," I began, hearing a few sniggers behind me. "Since we don't have Udon, we made ramen and stuck random chunks of tofu in it. As for the sushi, we made California rolls instead, because it's the next best thing we have. And we have nothing like Mochi, so we gave you blueberry turnovers instead." I tucked my hands behind my back with a smile. "What do you think? Sound fair?" She gapped at me for a minute, and I bent down to pet Sniffles. "Sorry, Sniffles. No non-fat milk here, but I gave you 2. You don't seem to mind though."

Mrs. Harada stood up, her face turning a vibrant red. "I'm outraged!" She snatched up Sniffles and stomped out, yelling, "I'll make sure you're fired young man."

As soon as the door shut, half the café yelled, "FAT CHANCE!" I was an ass, but I did what I could for her, which wasn't much. And, since she wasn't going to eat it, I started eating her California rolls. Ah, the sweet taste of victory. The rest of my shift was pretty easy, and I was elated when Sora came in at the end of my shift, which was around four, to pick me up. He was grinning from ear to ear and I knew something was up. He took me to Riku's Subaru, sitting in the back with me. "What's going on?" I asked as Sora put a blind fold over my eyes. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," Riku muttered as the engine revved. "Or, you won't see." While Sora and Riku started whispering to each other, I started singing T.A.T.U's Sacrifice to myself to pass the time. After my second time singing the song, the car came to a complete stop, and Sora started helping me out of the car. Both my cousin and his boyfriend started guiding me up a set of three steps. I heard a gentle rapping on a door, and a door click open. Sora pushed me into the room, and sat me down on a soft surface. My hands kind of flayed out, and each hand touched a leg—I retracted and held my hands to my chest. It was dead quiet. I then felt a pair of hands at the back of my head, untying the blind fold. First thing I saw was Sora's very spiky head. As he pulled away, there was an extremely loud cheer.

That moronic, lovable, wonderful cousin of mine had managed to get everyone I was friends with, and throw me a surprise party. 

Aerith, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie from work were there, Kairi and Naminé were waving happily in the corner, Pence and Olette were by the stairs(we happened to be in their townhouse), of course there was Riku and Sora, a few of my classmates that I could put up with, and even Axel and the gang were there.(it just so happened I had grabbed Axel's and Saïx's legs. Talk about weird.)

"Sora," I whined. "I told you I didn't want a big thing this year."

My cousin shrugged with a smile. "You're officially twenty one! What's not to celebrate?"

I felt Axel hug me from behind, and I scowled. "But I--" I stopped, being pulled into a lip lock. Well…I guess it was okay that my cousin was so thoughtful.

"Why didn't you tell me about your birthday?" my red head asked after we had parted.

"Because I didn't think it mattered," I replied honestly. Considering all that had happened to me that day, the party went over smoothly. By the end of the night, I was $285 dollars richer, had gotten a group call from everyone back home screaming happy birthday, and nearly puked from all the sea salt ice cream I ate. _It was great_. Everyone dispersed around nine, when Axel took me home. I was chatting animatedly in the passenger seat about one thing or another. "Oh, that reminds me!" I turned to Axel as we hit a red light. "My brother's wedding is on the second of January. I have to be there, but he said I could bring you along. Do you want to come?"

Axel kind of stared at me uncertainly for a moment, before he smiled slightly. "Sure," he muttered. "Need to meet your family sooner or later…"

I scowled, hinting at his hesitance. "…You don't want to, do you?"

"I said I would go!" Axel half yelled, hitting his hand on the steering wheel. "What do you want me to do? Dance excitedly?" He clapped his hands childishly. "YAY! A wedding!" He then glanced at me, scowling.

I glared at him and turned away, folding my arms over my chest as the light turned green. "You don't have to go," I muttered. "I was just being nice and inviting you…"

"Like I wanted to go," Axel hissed, thinking I hadn't heard him.

He really was an ass.

XxXxXxXxX

We went straight to bed that night without a word. By the next morning, I was still fuming. Not like Axel was willing to talk either; he left and hung out with Demyx all day, ditching his rehab session for the day. And I really didn't care; I was too pissed off to really care about anything. I didn't answer my phone when it rang, no matter who called. After a while, I realized that the only way I was going to forgive him was if I released some tension—by baking. Yes, when I'm irritated, I bake. And when I was about to make my infamous crack-filled-brownies-not-really-filled-with-crack, I realized I needed to go to the store. And Axel had the car. _**SHIT.**_

Heaving a heavy sigh, I grabbed my wallet and left the apartment, walking three blocks to the store, leaving my phone sitting on the coffee table. I bought milk, eggs, bars of Hershey's chocolate, chocolate chips, brownie mix, and brown sugar. I wanted them extra chocolatey, and Hershey's chocolate would do the trick. I returned to the apartment an hour later to find a frantic Axel pacing the living room and Demyx sitting on the couch casually. Axel stared at me, and I scowled, my frustration swelling inside me again. "What?" I snapped, sounding a bit bitter.

"I've been trying to reach you for an hour," he told me quietly, staring at the floor.

I shifted a bag on my hip. "Well, as you can see, I didn't have my phone." I walked to the kitchen and sat the bags on the counter. "Now calm down before you have a hernia."

"I was worried about you." I looked up at my red head. He was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, glancing up at me like a puppy who'd been beaten one too many times. "When I couldn't reach you…I panicked. I thought that something happened…"

I sighed, emptying the bags. "no, nothing happened." I glowered at him, making him sit on the couch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm still irritated with you, and I'm going to bake." I brandished a wooden spoon at both of my living room's inhabitants. "If I catch either one of you sneaking in here, I will beat you within an inch of your life." I pointed at Axel, who was clutching Demyx's arm to his chest. "And don't think I won't." The two nodded and I began my work on the chocolate-crack-filled-brownies-not-really-filled-with-crack. By the time I had finished my third batch, I was perfectly content and not angry in the least bit, which is a major accomplishment for me. I sighed blissfully, flopping into my favorite chair. "I feel so much better now…" I cheered.

"Can we have some?" Demyx asked hesitantly, catching my attention with a wave of his hand. I looked thoughtful and nodded. Both he and Axel got up and grabbed one each, nibbling at first to make sure they were edible. Sure enough, both of their eyes widened to the size of saucers and they began downing the brownies like they were the last meal on earth. "These are excellent!" Demyx screeched passed a mouthful.

"Thanks," I muttered, picking up a book from the coffee table. "I only make them once in a blue moon."

"You should make them more often," Axel said, walking back to the couch, a napkin in his hands holding two brownies. "They're like, god-like brownies, or something."

I snorted, opening the book; it was Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King, if you must know… "Whatever you say, Axel." I was startled a bit when Axel held a small piece of brownie against my lips. I opened my mouth and let him pop the bite sized chocolate treat in my mouth. I had to admit, this batch was my best yet—it was _orgasmic_. I giggled. "You know, these aren't half bad, if I do say so myself."

"Aren't they!" Demyx shrieked. He then held up one of the pans. "Can I take one home?"

"Go for it," I muttered. "God knows I don't need the fat."

"I don't think you could get fat if your life depended on it," Axel muttered passed a bite of brownie.

"Can't have the fat if I want to be a model," I muttered, fighting a grin as Demyx ran out of the apartment. I giggled as Axel started choking on brownie.

"You want to be a model?" He couched. "I thought you were going to be a teacher!"

"I am," I confirmed. "But Olette and I used to joke in High school that I would become the sexiest model on the planet. And then I went on a diet for about a year and a half and ended up in the hospital my junior year. That's when I learned how under-weight I was." I tucked my chin in my hand. "The thing is, I'm a bottomless pit. So, by normal standards, I should be a fat blob." I stole another bite of brownie. "Oh well."

Axel chuckled lightly, and we fell silent for a moment, munching on brownie. "…So…am I still in trouble?" he asked hesitantly.

I looked thoughtful. "Well," I muttered, snatching another piece. "…What I want to know is…why were you so hesitant to answer? And did you really mean what you said?" I looked slowly at him, our eyes locking for a moment. "Did you really mean you didn't want to go?"

"No," the red head sighed. "I was just frustrated. I really do want to go; I'd be glad to meet your family. I just…I had something I wanted to do, and it kind of screwed up my plans a bit…"

My sapphire orbs blinked furiously. "Plans?" I sat up on my knees in the chair, tossing my book aside. "What plans are you talking about?"

My boyfriend smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see," he taunted. I let out a whine and he laughed. "Nope. Believe me, when you find out, you be glad that I waited." 

I stuck out my bottom lip in a very evident pout. "Yeah, but I know I'm going to hate you in the meantime."

"That'll just make the whole thing better in the end," the red head chuckled, kissing my forehead.

"Speaking of families…" I smirked and leaned forward. "When I'm I going to meet yours?"

If there was a word to describe the look on Axel's face, I would use it. Sadly, I can't find a word to do it justice. It was just utterly disturbed and taken aback. "You want to meet my family!" he stammered, nearly falling out of his seat. "I mean, you're not joking!"

I snorted. "Why wouldn't I want to meet them? I mean, we're dating, and you get to meet my family in a week or so…when do I get to meet your family?"

He twitched slightly, trying to regain his composure. "Uh…are you sure you want to do that?"

"Positive."

"Uh…hold that thought…" He scrambled up off the couch and left the room, whipping out his phone and dialing a number so fast I swear I didn't see his fingers move. It was slightly eerie. I watched him leave, and watched the bedroom door as it slammed shut. I could hear his muffled voice for a few minutes, but as for understanding what he was saying—that was a no go. After about ten minutes, he came out of the bedroom, a 'oh crap' look on his face and tucking his phone in his pocket. He looked at my expectant face and giggled nervously. "Uh…how would you like to meet them for Christmas?"

I smiled, and guessed that this was the wrong answer—"Of course! That'd be great!"

"Uh, so…" He cleared his throat, coming back to the couch to sit. "It takes about a day and half's worth of driving to get there…so, if we leave tomorrow morning, we can maybe get there late after noon on the twenty first."

"Sounds great." He flinched. "What?"

"It's just that…" Axel rubbed nervously at the back of his head. "I haven't been back home for…two…maybe three years..? And my family is kind of…screwed up?" He glanced at me uncertainly. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

I placed a hand on Axel's reassuringly. "Axel, honey…I don't think anything could faze me. Not after what's happened in the last week." I smiled. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

The rehabilitating druggie groaned, burring his face into the couch arm. "Trust me, Roxas. You don't _want_ to know…"

XxXxXxXxX

We started packing our stuff the next morning as soon as we woke up—which was stupid on our part, because we should have started night before—and were out the door and on the road by about eight, which was later than Axel had originally intended. The beginning of the drive was quiet, since we were both trying to wake up. I think I might have dozed off a few times, but I can't really remember—all the scenery looked the same. Around one-ish, we switched and I drove for a couple hours. We had a bit of an argument over whether or not we should stop at a hotel—I won because I refused to drive all night because that would be asinine.

The morning of the twenty first was an interesting one. Axel got many-a-calls from someone asking where he was, at which he would respond with, "on the road, what do you think?" He never really told me who it was. Anyway, around noonish, we finally hit civilization. A bunch of small homes that looked like something out of a show like "Leave it to Beaver" with the white picket fences and perfect yards lined the street, as well as the occasional shop. Any people we saw would stop whatever they were doing and wave—it was kind of scary. We passed a small cemetery and came upon more houses before Axel finally pulled into a dirt driveway. 

In the drive way was an old Nova, with chipped red paint. The house was a bit beaten up, and painted white. The trimming was a dark, almost blood red, and had a porch. The yard was a jumbled mess of disjointed dirt and random auto parts. I glanced at Axel, arching a brow in curiosity. "Babe," I muttered slowly as he cut the power to the engine. "Give me a warning. Who am I about to meet?"

The red head opened his door with a sigh, and I followed suit. "My twin brother," he answered, grabbing our bags from the back seat.

"Wait, you have a twin?" I yelped, not exactly quiet.

"Yeah he does," a voice called from the porch. My eyes locked with a pair of green ones similar to Axel's. The man's hair was the same color as Axel's, but was considerably longer and softer, held back in a ponytail. He had red tattoos along his cheek bones, and was rather tall, dressed in a white tee and a pair of jeans. He raised a brow at me, his hands on his hips. "Now who's the runt you're leaving on my doorstep, Axel?"

"The what!" I yelped.

"The runt, Reno, is my boyfriend," Axel hissed through gritted teeth, guiding me by the arm up to the porch. "Roxie-baby, this is my twin brother, Reno. Reno, this is Roxas."

Reno eyed me cautiously, but smiled after a few minutes. "Pleasure, Roxas," he muttered, mussing my hair in a similar way that Axel did. He then waved us in. "C'mon in, unpack and chillax." 

Axel nudged me a bit, and I followed Reno inside. I could tell that Reno had rushed to clean things up before we arrived—things were crammed in the corners of the already crowded house. But as we entered the spare bedroom, I could see why—he had cleaned it out so we could use it. Axel lied our stuff on the bed and stretched, his back cracking. "Reno, you didn't have to clean up," he told his twin. "Everyone knows you're a pack-rat."

"I wanted to make a good impression," the longer-haired red head exclaimed. "Besides, I wanted you guys to be able to use the dresser if you wanted." He smiled reassuringly. "C'mon, I'll give you guys a tour. Not that there's much to see."

"Uh…" I fidgeted slightly. "Do you mind if I stay here? I kind of want to unpack a bit…" I felt I was being rude, but I couldn't stand just leaving my clothes lying there. Sighing, I began digging into my back, glancing up at a small picture frame on the wall. 

It was a picture of a woman. She was a rather beautiful with dark hair and eyes. She had a kind face, and was smiling with a sort of sad smile. It made me wonder a bit what she was sad about, if anything. She was wearing a traditional kimono in a pastel blue. I smiled at her photo—I couldn't help it.

"I see you've met our mother."

I looked to the doorway. Axel was leaning against the door frame, smiling. "That's your mother?" I asked, flabbergasted. I looked back at the old photo. "She's beautiful…" I whispered. 

"I'm sure she would thank you, Roxie." My red-head chuckled, sitting on the bed beside my bag. "I think you would have liked her…"

I blinked, confused. "Wait what? 'Would have'? What do you mean?"

"She's dead." I stared as Axel looked up at the woman's picture again. "See, now I have to tell you a story about my family.

"See, my father is from Ireland. He has two siblings, my Uncle Riley and my aunt Analiese. They live in Dublin. Father was a businessman, and traveled a lot. He married my mum under the agreement with my grandpa that his sir name would carry on, because he had no sons. Father agreed, and so he and mom were married. The thing is, mom was a thin and feeble woman, and obedient. Too obedient. Father on the other hand was stubborn, and fierce. Not like he ever hit her or anything. So, a few years later, Reno and I were born, and about three years later came my brother Shoji. HE died of Leukemia, or something, because we couldn't afford the medical bills. He was only eight…" Axel trailed off a bit. "Here's the kicker though: Dad made a fair bit of money, and could have easily paid for Shoji to get better. So where was all that money going? Well, after shoji died, dad got more and more in depth with his job. And whenever he would come home, he and mom would fight. After a while, Reno and I found out that they were getting a divorce, because while dad had been in the states, he had fallen in love with this woman in Texas, and got her pregnant with his child, whose name we later learned was Breanna. Well, the night he was supposed to leave, Reno was pissed enough that he burnt down the house, thinking dad was inside. He wasn't. He'd gotten an earlier flight. But mom was. And she died. This left Reno and I as orphans. And that's about the time I met Demyx.

"Now, Reno and I didn't have much, but Reno ended up falling in love with this girl Natsu. She was beautiful, rich, and was one of the only people at school who tried to be nice to us. For god sakes, we were outcasts at every end of the spectrum. They fell in love, and her parents reluctantly took Reno in. Well…he got Natsu pregnant…and she was shot soon after having the baby. So, Natsu's parents thought of keeping the baby, but since they blamed Reno for their daughter's death, they thought it wasn't worth taking care of. So Reno took care of it by himself. But it got sick…and died." He leaned back on the bed, folding his arms under his head. "It's a wonder that Reno is still alive. Now I think it's his co-workers."

"Where does he work?" I asked, genuinely interested. I had stopped unpacking to listen, and was sitting beside Axel.

"He works for a company called Shin-ra. He's a turk. I think he's dating his co-worker Elena, but I'm not sure." My red head smiled. "I'm happy for him."

I sighed, kicking my feet a bit off the bed. "I feel bad now…" At Axel's questioning glance, I elaborated. "If I had known that Reno was the only family you had left…I wouldn't have suggested I meet your family…" I groaned. "Now feel all bad…"

Axel sat up, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Awe, don't worry about it. You wouldn't have known." He smiled softly. "You want to meet Shoji, Natsu and baby Yoshi tomorrow?"

I blinked. "What, go to their graves?"

"Yeah. Reno told me he goes every year with some of his co-workers. I think it'll be good. Besides…" He stared at his lap a moment. "…I haven't been to Shoji's grave since the funeral…and that was over twelve years ago…"

I hesitated a bit. Cemeteries gave me the heebie-jeebies, but if it meant that much to Axel, I could shove my fear aside. "All right," I hissed. "We'll go with Reno tomorrow. Now, help me unpack."

"Thanks, Roxas," Axel muttered, hugging me before pulling his clothes out of his bag. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"No," I muttered. "But I have a feeling I'll find out."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I woke up the next morning to the best smell in the whole world. Of course, I wasn't fully awake at the time, but I just smelled something _really_ good, and that was enough to make me groan, roll over, and open my eyes. I stared around the unfamiliar room for a good fifteen minutes, trying to recall where I was, mouthing "What the fuck" every couple of minutes or so. It was after about twenty minutes that I gave up and realized Axel was gone. I groaned before throwing the blankets off and padding down the hallway, wearing nothing but my plaid pajama bottoms. For the second time since I had started seeing Axel, I was walking around shirtless. Who would have thought? I made a b-line for the kitchen, where I heard Axel and Reno chatting animatedly.

Axel was shirtless and wearing his jeans, as usual, half reclined in his chair, while Reno was dressed in a black t shirt and blue jeans, his finger circling the rim of his coffee cup. "Mmm…coffee…" I hadn't realized I said it a loud until the twins looked at me.

Reno then held up his coffee cup. "Want one?" he asked. At my sleepy grunt, he laughed and obliged as I sat in Axel's lap, burying my face in his neck. "You're a sleeper kid." The other redhead commented, setting the coffee on the table. "You were going to sleep the morning away."

"I like my sleep," I yawned. "What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven," Axel replied. "I tried to wake you an hour and a half ago for breakfast, but you muttered something about cutting my dick off." He shrugged. "So I left you alone." 

"What was for breakfast?" I asked, sipping at my coffee, sighing happily.

"Pancakes and sausage," Reno replied, and I nearly spit my coffee back into my cup. "There's some left, warmed in the oven if you want it."

"Do I ever," I hissed, scrambling off Axel's lap and half jogging to the oven, yanking the plate of food out without a second thought. Pancakes: my biggest food weakness. It wasn't until I had started eating that I noticed how much my hand hurt from grabbing the plate out of the oven. The twins were staring at me expectantly. "…ow…" I muttered, shaking my hand in an automatic reaction. My palm had already turned fire-engine red—yeah, it could beat the twins' hair—and was hurting like a bitch.

"Hungry much?" the red headed twins muttered in unison—it kind of freaked me out.

"Starving," I muttered, ignoring Axel's sniggering. "So…what's next?"

"Well," Reno muttered. "We were going to go visit the cemetery, and then I was going to leave it to you guys." He nodded at Axel. "I figured Axel would want to show you around a bit."

"We need to do some Christmas Shopping," I hissed, glaring at Axel, who giggled nervously.

"Don't bother," Reno muttered, and I could tell he was getting flustered; he was doing the same thing as Axel. "It's not a big deal…"

"I insist," I told him, smiling politely. "Think of it as my way of thanking you for your hospitality. Even if your brother is a douche for popping this on you so suddenly."

"So," Axel interjected. "After we visit Shoji and Natsu, Roxas and I are going shopping?" Reno and I nodded. "All right, but Roxie? Do we have to all it shopping? It sounds so girly."

"What do you want to call it then?" I asked, leaning against the counter top, sipping my coffee.

Axel looked thoughtful for a moment before holding up his finger in a successful way. "We'll call it gift searching."

I sighed, padding back down the hallway to get ready. "You're an ass."

XxXxXxXxX

Reno's co-workers arrived about an hour later, and I was a bit surprised by them. A blond woman arrived first, and I guessed this was Elena. I had to admit she was pretty. Next came a tall, bald black man. I know, stereotypical, and somewhat racist, but it just was that way. I found out from Reno that this guy's name was Rude. He was quiet and kept mostly to himself, but he spoke to Reno directly. I later learned it was because they were partners at work. Another man came in with long black hair. Instead of letting Reno introduce him, he introduced himself to me as Tseng. He was polite, and it flustered me a bit. Well, at least some people had manners.

"Well!" Reno cried, clapping his hands together. "Shall we go?"

"Is Rufus not coming?" Elena asked from her spot on the couch beside Tseng. "I thought he promised."

Reno shrugged. "If he's not coming, who cares." He scanned the room quickly. "..there's six of us…three and three carpool?"

Axel jingled his keys in Reno's ear. "I'll drive. You, me, and Roxie; your co-workers in the other car. What do you say?"

Reno raised a brow, smirking. "Oh? I'm privileged enough to ride in the Mustang now?"

"Yeah." Axel turned to me, a pleading look on his face. "Do you mind sitting in the back, Roxas?"

I shook my head slowly and sheepishly. "No, I don't mind. Not at all." My red head smiled slightly and kissed my forehead, leading his twin outside. I sighed heavily—cemeteries scared the crap out of me. I didn't necessarily want to go, but I felt it would be a way to show Axel's family a bit of respect. I ran out of the house, clamoring into the back seat of Axel's mustang before Reno got in. Reno and Axel were chatting animatedly in the front seats was backtracked to the small cemetery Axel and I had passed coming into town. We pulled in and drove along the dirt road to the far end of the cemetery. I shivered as Axel stopped the car. This trip wasn't exactly what I had planned it out to be. With some help from Reno, I climbed out of the mustang, stepping cautiously on the dirt road. I glanced around nervously. Small stones of marble peppered the evergreen surf; some stones were broken and weather beaten, showing their age. I felt a chill down my spine and shivered before running after Axel. I grabbed his hand and he led me to a small hunk of white stone. "Kasaiko, Shoji" was carved into it, followed by "1991—1998". I held Axel's arm against me, feeling this sense of sadness wash over me. "He wasn't even eight," I whispered. Axel's arm wormed it's way out of my grasp, and wrapped it around my shoulders, pulling me against him. "That's…so sad…"

Axel exhaled a shaky breath. "You have no idea." He smiled faintly. "You would have liked Shoji, Roxas. Even though he was sick, he was a cheerful kid." He chuckled slightly. "Before he died, Reno, Shoji and I used to do these little routines to make mom smile. That's what Shoji lived for, I think—to make others smile." He knelt down in the grass, pulling me down with him. "He succeeded in that…" His other hand grazed the words on the tombstone. "I just wish he could have done more."

For some reason, and I still don't know why, I began to do something I hadn't done since I was a young child: I folded my hands in front of me, closed my eyes, and I began to pray. When I was in high school, I had begun claiming I was Atheist, because that made more since than any religion I had read up on—I just didn't believe. If god existed, then she(the gender would be female, because I don't know if you've read the bible—I think it's a crazy word of fiction—but the book of Revelations? Only a woman could write _that_. Possibly a woman on PMS.) wouldn't allow the tragedy in the world. Children dying…it was things like that that caused my belief to dwindle. And yet, here I was, at a cemetery, at the grave of a child I had never met, praying for the first time in five years or more. And I cried. I cried for Shoji; who knew what he could have achieved if he had lived? I didn't—no one did—and a small part of me wanted to know what could have been, even though I had never met him. It was a silent cry, and I think that if I hadn't hiccupped, no one would have noticed. Axel just held me against him, caressing my hair gently, shushing me ever few minutes or so. After I had finally gotten a hold of myself, we got up, and Reno had already abandoned us for two stones a good couple meters away. I moved to go over, but Axel stopped me, shaking his head. A part of me thought it was heartless to just let Reno be over there by himself—after all, it was his former girlfriend and child over there—but another part of me knew it was better for me to leave him alone, as much as I hated it. I sighed, but nodded.

Axel tugged on my arm a bit and led me back over to the mustang to wait. He kissed the top of my head lightly. "Are you all right?" he asked as I started to tremble. "You seem out of it."

"I just…" I sighed, laying my head against the mustang's surface, staring at the sky, which was becoming cloudy. "…First, I'm afraid of cemeteries…and…it's just so sad." I inhaled slowly, closing my eyes. "Death, disease, despair…it makes me wonder why we exist, when there's nothing there for us to begin with." When I opened my eyes, Axel was staring at me with disbelief. "I mean, why are we so bound to live if all we do is cause suffering? It's an endless cycle, and when you really look at it, that's how every civilization ends—disease, despair, and death. Why do we try so hard to stop it? Why do we put all our faith into this being that we don't know really to exist? Yeah, we have writings, but how do we know it's not all made up, like the works of Stephen King? We weren't alive then. Do we believe in this nonexistent being to help ourselves? To make us feel better about life, and give us hope when things go awry? Why do we put so much faith in false hope?" I stopped, closing my eyes, a faint smile on my face as I slid down the side of the car. "Sorry. I know one is not supposed to talk about religion in public. And I didn't mean to get that far." I fiddled a bit with the grass. "I guess…this whole thing just kind of got to me. Sorry."

Axel stared at me for a moment before sitting next to me. "You've…thought a lot about that…haven't you?"

I nodded. "Technically, since junior high. Because of it, I declared myself Atheist in high school. It's just that, I don't see where people can depend their whole life around this person, whom we call God." I sighed, staring back at the darkening sky. "I just stopped believing."

Axel bit his lip nervously. "Um, I'm taking a giant leap of faith here, but…I have to ask." I glanced up at him. "Based on the way you were talking…were you ever suicidal?"

My eyes locked with Axel's emerald ones. At first, I was surprised that he had asked. But then I was surprised that he knew. "I was in High school," admitted, a bit ashamed. "I had a major bout of depression. I never knew why I was sad, but I'd just get sad over nothing. And then I'd look around me and think of all the ways I could hurt myself." I curled my knees to my chest, laying my chin on my knees. "I hated everything. I wanted it all to just go away. I thought destruction would make life more livable, but it just hurt others. And then I would feel more guilty. And the vicious circle would continue." I looked back at Axel, whose eyes were as wide as plates. "What?"

"…You're smiling."

"What?"

"During that whole story…you were smiling." I sighed. I guess I _was_ smiling. Morbid fascination made my smile grow. "Roxas…are you sick?"

"Maybe," I mused. I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "I never did go to a therapist. I just kind of dealt with my problems as they came. Really…that's all they'd have me do, while taking pills on the side." I sighed, standing up. "Listen, we'll talk about this later. We're leaving." I pointed ahead at Axel's confused look, where Reno and his co-workers were walking over. The drive to Reno's was quiet, and it started to rain. We dropped Reno off and I clamored into the front seat before Axel and I took off for the main marketplace in town.

XxXxXxXxX

After about an hour of walking around the marketplace, we had a couple bags of gift ideas. And Olette called, nagging me about what I was getting her for Christmas. I, of course, wasn't going to tell her. Because I'm a jerk that way. XD Axel was quiet for most of the trip, and I think it was because I disturbed him beyond all belief. But maybe he was right—maybe I _was_ sick. But I wasn't about to admit it, because that would mean admitting defeat. It was rather hilarious watching him though.

When we first arrived at the shopping center, he was giving me a look that clearly read, "You know what? You need serious help." After about the first half hour of shopping, his look had changed to a, " C'mon, let's go back to Reno's. It's getting cold and I'm soaked to the bone." And now, it was an extremely whiney look that almost made me giggle aloud, which screamed, "Rooooooooxaaaaaaaas! I'm Cooooooooold! And weeeeeeeet! And OMFG it's snoooooooooowiiiiiiing!"

Yeah. After almost three weeks, I could read Axel's expressions as easily as a book. And that, my friends, is a great accomplishment.

"Roxas?" I smiled. Axel was right on cue. "Can we go back now? It's going on four o clock, and it's snowing really bad out there. I don't know if my car will be able to get through if we wait any longer."

I glanced at my watch, and sighed. "I guess." I smiled. "Okay. Let's get going." We made a mad dash for the car from the shopping center—it was difficult, because the snow was already up to our ankles. We scrambled into the Mustang, laughing at the memory of last time we were in the snow. 

The laughter died however, when Axel's car didn't want to start. It made a pathetic coughing noise at first. "C'mon, baby," Axel whispered, petting the dashboard. The second try was almost successful, but the engine died. "Oh, c'mon!" He tried a third time, and the engine roared to life. "Yes!" He beat his hand on the steering wheel in success before putting the gear into drive. I was positive that we were home free. We were maybe halfway back when the car started sputtering. "No, no, no…" Axel whispered in a panic. He stroked the dashboard. "C'mon…just a little farther…" Too bad that wasn't good enough. The Mustang just died. And, as luck would have it, the snow started falling harder. Axel beat his hand on the wheel in frustration. "DAMMIT!" He tore the door open, sending a rush of wind and snow into the cab. I watched him pace to the front, where he knocked open the hood. After a few minutes, he slammed it shut, cursing loudly as he came back into the car. I tell you what, if looks could kill, I would have dropped dead right there. The red head tried starting the engine again, but to no avail. "Damn it…" he growled.

"…we're stuck, aren't we?" I had the courage to muttered.

"Yup."

"You don't have service on your cell, do you?"

"Nope."

I glanced at my phone. "Me either."

"Great."

I sighed, staring out my window at the white powder that wasn't simply drifting, but was being flung against my window, making a small "tink" every once and a while. "…so…what do we do?"

"Well," Axel hissed. "We can't get the car started, neither one of us has service—you tell me!" he slammed his hand on the wheel, growling. "We could get out and _walk_ the rest of the way, in turn freezing us, and killing us! How about that!"

My eyes narrowed slightly. "Axel Kasaiko, don't yell at me."

"You're the one who wanted to go shopping!"

I turned in my seat to face him, glaring a glare that could kill small animals. "But notice that you said nothing to me until it had already started to snow! You didn't say anything about leaving until it was too late! So do not, under any circumstance, blame me for this!" I folded my arms across my chest as I flumped back into my seat. "We'll just wait here until the snow stops, and hopefully we'll be able to get back."

"Fine."

"Fine." After a few moments, I undid my seat belt and crawled into the back seat. The leather was cold, but maybe it would be better there. It was quiet for a while, and I only hated it because I started to shiver, and I didn't want Axel to know I was cold. Luckily, he sighed and started talking again.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not." He turned in his seat to face me. He smiled slightly. "You were right. It was uncalled for. Forgive me?"

"Yeah," I muttered, trying to surprise my shivers, failing miserably. "It's fine, Axel…"

"You cold?"

"No shit!"

My boyfriend smiled and crawled into the back with me, pulling over and holding me against him. "Now, no need for that…" He kissed the top of my head. "We'll just have to keep each other warm."

"What if we run out of oxygen?"

"You think too much."

I sighed, watching my breath form a small cloud by my mouth. Maybe Axel was right. I snuggled into Axel's chest, my arms hiding between us. "I didn't realize how cold it was…"

"You don't when you're moving."

"True…" I thought for a moment. "We need to think of a way to keep warm…"

Axel smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously. "_Well_, Roxas…" He pulled me a bit closer by my waist, until I was practically sitting on his lap. "I can think of _one_ way to keep you warm…" Knowing Axel, I had a feeling I knew what this "one way" was. He started kissing my neck, and I felt this incredible heat plunge into my stomach and spread through my body. "Just give the word," he whispered against my skin, "And I will for you…"

Oh, how I wanted to so BADLY! I know we couldn't though, not if we intended to live though this as warm human beings, not dead popsicles. "Axel, no…" I muttered, shoving him away half-heartedly. "Just stop, please." I could tell that Axel wasn't too pleased, but he obliged, holding me against him. We were quiet, and each of us taking turns at taking a small nap; well, until my lips turned blue, and then Axel wouldn't leave me alone. By this time, it was dark out, and the temperature had dropped severely. I was a little scared, but too tired to really care either way. Every time I would begin to dose, Axel would shake me a bit, jolting me. He was tired too—I could tell by the look in his eyes—but he was determined to hold out. 

It was pitch black outside when Axel jolted me for the sixteenth time. "Roxas. You up for walking a bit?"

"What?"

"It's stopped snowing." I glanced over his shoulder out the window. I could barely tell at first, but sure enough, he was right. "We're not too far. Maybe ten to fifteen minutes. You think you can handle it?"

I sat up and nodded vaguely. I wanted out of this fucking car. And I was more than willing to walk for a good half hour if it meant getting out of the situation. "Are we just going to leave the car?"

"We have no choice." Axel scrambled into the front and pushed heavily on the door. He grunted as it shoved open, pushing aside a mountain of snow. The mound of white powder was up to his knees.(Now, if he's six foot two, and I'm five foot, imagine how deep this shit is for me…) He helped me out of the car. "If you need help, don't hesitate to ask."

I have to say one thing—Axel lied! After ten minutes, there was still no sign of Reno's neighborhood. And by that time, it was a miracle that I was still walking. I couldn't feel my hands, feet, anything, and it was taking all my effort to stay awake. "Axel," I moaned. "I can't go any further…" I flopped down in the snow, sitting numbly on my knees.

"C'mon, Roxie," Axel muttered, back tracking and trying to pull me up. "We're so close. I can see the street sign. Just come on."

I shook my head. "I'm cold," I whispered. "And tired…"

My boyfriend scowled a moment before bending down and picking me up in his arms. I think my legs wrapped around his waist, but I was too numb to feel it. "It's okay," he panted as he continued walking. "I'll carry you the last stretch." 

XxXxXxXxX

The first thing I remember is having my face buried in Axel's chest. I was wearing his flannel pajama shirt and a pair of my pajama pants. Axel was lying on top the bed covers in his hoodie—which I later found out covered about two other layers—and his flannel bottoms. I had a pounding headache between my eyes, and that made me groan a bit. My red head opened his eyes at this and smiled faintly at me. He kissed my forehead. "How are you feeling?" His voice was quiet, almost hoarse even.

I groaned, rolling onto my back. "Like crap," I muttered, and I noticed that my voice was kind of nasally. Great, a cold. "What time is it?"

"Well into the afternoon," Axel muttered passed a yawn. When I last checked it was two thirty."

I sat up. "What!"

"Chill, Roxie. Reno wants us down. We didn't get back until four in the morning. I told him what happened, and not only does he want us to get the sleep we lost, but thinks we might have caught something." He smiled. "Christmas is in two days, and he wants us well enough to join in the town festivities." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "He's already gotten mad at me because I get up ever couple hours."

I sighed. I thought about just laying back down and going back to sleep. But I had three problems with that idea; I was thirsty, I was hungry, and I had to pee more than I ever had in my life. Even more than that time when I went on a road trip with Sora and Riku, and we drove for a day and a half straight, making no stops. That wasn't any fun. Since I didn't want my bladder to explode, and for my stomach to resort to cannibalism, I threw off the blankets and padded down the hall, noticing that my feet were covered in about six pairs of socks of varied length. Well, that's one way to warm up someone's feet. I stared at my reflection in the mirror with slight amazement. I was paler than Axel, which is a sight in itself, though my cheeks had taken an almost rosy hue. My lips weren't blue, but they had lost most of their color. Frankly, I looked like shit. Felt like it too, but that was another story. As I got down to business, I started to wonder what on earth there was to eat. The last time I ate was breakfast the day before. I smiled slightly, thinking of the god-like pancakes. Hee hee, those were great. But as I finished my business, I realized that there probably no pancakes left in the house—I ate them yesterday. I shrugged, washing my hands quietly, listening as I heard Reno scold Axel for getting up again. I smiled and left the bathroom. "Reno?" I whined, catching his attention despite the nasally whine. "I'm hungry. Do you have anything I could eat?"

Reno blinked at me and nodded with a smile. "Yeah kid! Come on into the kitchen." He looked at Axel apologetically—my guess is that Axel tried to explain, but Reno didn't believe him—and led me into the kitchen. There wasn't much, sadly, and Reno must of realized how much he had to go shopping, because he was gnawing on his lip as he scanned the cabinets. I glanced at the clock: 4:15 PM. Almost dinner time. 

"I'll tell you what," I muttered. "Give me a mask or something to block my germs, and I'll cook dinner."

"What, like a surgeon's mask?"

"Something like that."

Reno left to find something, and Axel looked at me. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm starving," I whined. "And besides, even if he doesn't have much, I know how to improvise with what I have." I raised a finger at him. "Do not question me." With that, I began raiding the cabinets. There really wasn't much—a little pasta, some spaghetti sauce—but I figured I had seen less in my own kitchen. When Reno came back with a mask for my nose and mouth, I smiled as I put it on. Once again, it was Roxas to the rescue. 

I ended up making this random concoction of Elbow Macaroni, spaghetti sauce, frozen corn and ground beef. I didn't know what it was, or what it would taste like, but I didn't really care. I was just hungry. Remarkably, it was delicious. And between the three of us, we ate the whole large pot—and I had made enough to feed an army. "That was good," I cooed, earning a "mm-hm" from the twins. "Wasn't what I expected, but still good." Reno took the dishes and banished Axel and I back into our room. I stole a water bottle from the fridge as I left. "See you tomorrow," I cried, waving numbly. I didn't think I'd be out for the rest of the day.

**A/N: I just want to make it known to all of you that I do NOT intend to bash any religion. I believe that everyone has a right to believe whatever they want. If I offended you or your beliefs, I am whole-heartedly sorry.  
In other news, I want to thank all my readers for the support. smiles This is my first large scale fic, and I'm glad that people are enjoying it so much. This will keep going, especially with my own "Axel" to root me on(Among my friends, we have me—Roxas—and Axel, a Demyx, etc. It's great.) Again, thanks for the undying support! waves stuffed panther paw Until next time! Roxie out!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Happy Christmas Eve, lovers!"

If I had to give a piece of my masculinity for every time someone barged into my room at the most awkward moment, I'd be a woman. Axel and I had been in a heavy, full fledged make out mode when Reno came barging in. I mean, make out mode like hands tangled in hair, legs wrapped around waists, eating each other's faces. Yeah, it was great. The weirdest thing was, he didn't seem the slightest bit phased by the fact that we had been swapping spit when he slammed the door open. Instead, he cooed at how his brother had finally gotten laid, and ran down the hall, cackling as his twin sprinted after him, a pillow in hand. Frankly, I was a bit perturbed. I threw the blankets off and ran after them, only to walk into the living room to see Reno curled into a ball on the recliner, Axel beating him several times over the head. It was…quite a sight. I heard Reno scream, "Mercy!" a few times, and that's when I decided I needed to step in. "All right, enough Axel," I muttered with a sigh, walking over and snatching the pillow away from him. "No need to bludgeon him to death."

"He's going to murder me with downy pillow softness," Reno whispered in my ear before giggling at the pure stupidity of the situation.

"I swear," Axel growled as his twin left for the kitchen. "If he does that tomorrow, I _will_ bludgeon him to death…" My red head sounded considerably better than yesterday. Thank the sleep. I was still a bit stuffy, but I felt pretty good over all. Axel sighed heavily before looking down at me and smiling. "Well, good morning," he muttered, grinning as he leaned down and kissed me. I sighed happily. As he pulled away, I smiled.

"I think we already established that it _is_ a good morning…" I giggled as he kissed me again. My arms wrapped around his neck and he picked me up, my legs wrapping around his waist out of instinct. I moaned softly as his tongue caressed the inside of my mouth.

"Not in the living room," Reno yelled from the kitchen, his tone warning. "Everyone's coming over and I don't really feel like cleaning up your mess."

Axel groaned, looking slightly put out. "Reeeeenoooo!" he whined, bouncing me a bit and ignoring my giggle. "I've got the biggest urge to pound Roxas into the mattress!" I smacked him playfully. "Is there any way to sound proof your house?"

Reno came back into the living room, tapping his lips in thought. "…no. You're just going to have to wait for your Christmas nookie after you get home."

"Reeeeenoooooo!!"

I kissed Axel's neck, shutting him up. "Just wait. I'll make it worth your while." I chuckled slightly as my red head raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "I promise. We'll go home, rest, and I'll make it worth going to my brother's wedding." I smirked quirkily as Axel made a small growl in his throat.

"That didn't sound kinky or anything," Reno commented, walking back into the kitchen.

"It was supposed to," I giggled as Axel put me down, only releasing me when my feet touched the ground. I stretched a bit. "Well, since Reno will be having more guests, shall we get dressed?"

"Or at least halfway?" Axel chirped, half-skipping half-stumbling down the hallway to the bedroom. "Roxas! Help me pick out my clothes!"

I shook my head, rolling my eyes as I followed my boyfriend to the bedroom. I shut the door behind me quietly turning to see Axel going through the dresser, tossing shirts aside and all over the room. I sighed. "What do you want to wear?" I asked, pushing him aside with my hip.

"Something warm and comfy," was Axel's childish reply. He sat on the bed, smiling.

"That tells me nothing," I muttered, digging into the drawer. "Well…" I pulled out a black hooded shirt with silver stars on it. I held it up. "How about this?"

"Nah, too shiny."

"Okay…" I put the shirt back, and dug a little more. "How about…" I pulled out a plain white shirt. "…this?" Axel opened his mouth to protest, and I held a finger up. "With…" I pulled out his black Avenue Q tee shirt out (It sucks to be me!) "…this over it."

Axel clapped happily. "Perfect!" I threw the shirts at him. "Can you toss me a pair of jeans too?"

"Black or Blue?"

"Either or." I tossed a pair of blue jeans at him, and he tore of his shirt happily.

I sighed, closing his drawer and opening mine. I wasn't really sure what to wear, myself. In truth, I was too lazy to want to get dressed. But I wasn't about to walk around in my pajamas while Reno had guests over—that would be embarrassing. I shifted some clothes around, pulling out a black t.a.t.u concert shirt out of the drawer; it had the picture from the "Dangerous and Moving" CD on the front, and the concert dates on the back, the concert I went to highlighted in blue. I also pulled out a pair of skinny jeans before tearing the flannel shirt off my back and exchanging it for the black shirt. I heard a "Meep" and turned to see Axel falling on the floor, his pants half-on. I raised a brow, uncertain whether to laugh or dismiss my boyfriend's misfortune. I slid off my pajama bottoms and pulled on my skinny jeans, watching Axel struggle with his pants, before getting them on with a victorious, "AHA!"

I clapped politely before buttoning my pants. "Good job. That wasn't rocket science or anything."

"No, but it required a bit of skill," Axel grunted, brushing out his mass of hair. "That in itself is rocket science."

I rolled my eyes before snatching my own brush, ripping out tangles. "Glad to know I'm dating a genius."

"…you were being sarcastic, weren't you?"

"Completely." I pulled out my flatiron, plugging it in as Axel sighed, throwing himself onto the bed. "Is there a problem?"

He shrugged awkwardly. "Nah. I'm just trying to think about what to do about the car." I nodded. "Do I _try_ to fix it? Do I get a new one? Do I abandon it and we take the train home?" He sighed. "I just don't know yet."

"Well," I muttered, using my flatiron to flip a few strands of hair to the left. "We're not leaving until the 27th, right?" He nodded. "We can get it and take it in, see if there's any way to fix it, and if it's either a no go or too expensive, we dump it." I sat on the bed, blinking at Axel's insulted look. "It's an old car, Axel. To fix it is going to be expansive if they have the right parts."

"I'll have Reno look at it," my red head decided, resolute.

"Shouldn't you have a mechanic look at it?"

"Too expensive. Besides, Reno has a Minor in automotive." He smiled as I tucked my flatiron away. "He'll help me out."

"Whatever you say," I muttered, opening the bedroom door and walking out. "I still think that you're crazy."

"Whatever." Axel passed me and pounced on Reno's turned back. "Hey, Re-re? You think you can use your automotive expertise to help me out?"

"Depends," the twin muttered. "What for?"

"My car. If I tow it back here, do you think you can take a look at it and see if it's salvageable?"

Reno looked thoughtful. "…yeah. Get it here and I'll look at it."

"Sweet!" Axel yelled, pumping his fist in the air victoriously. He then turned to me. "C'mon, Rox!"

"Where are we going?" I asked, putting on my coat.

"To tow the car!"

When Axel said "tow the car," I didn't realize that we were going to _push_ the car from it's position where we left it to Reno's house. After about five minutes of struggling with the hunk of scrap-metal, a few of the townsfolk came out to help us. I for one was grateful. I was soaked in snow and dirt, because I had slipped a fair few times shoving this hunk of junk. That's when Axel had me sit in the front seat and control the turning of the car. With about six strangers helping us out, we got the Mustang to Reno's in about twenty minutes. Reno stepped out of his house with Elena just as we and the helpers cheered at the success. I looked at Reno with a look that clearly read, "I'm going to kill him," before walking over to the somewhat-sane twin. "There. The car. Look at it." I shook my head at Elena, who was giggling slightly. "I swear to God I'm going to kill him."

"Come inside, Roxas," Elena laughed, taking me by my shoulders as Reno walked over to his twin. "We need to get you out of those wet clothes."

"Nah, I'm fine, Elena," I muttered, peeling off my coat. "Just let me sit next to the heater and I'll be fine." She nodded and went to make hot chocolate while I sat next to the old-fashioned heater in the living room.

I peeked out the window into the front yard, where Axel was giving Reno a pleading look. Reno was rolling up his shirt sleeves and talking, knocking open the Mustang's hood like Axel had done. He was pointing at a few things and talking, and honestly, Axel looked clueless. After a few moments, Reno's arms flailed, pushing Axel away. My red head laughed and went to the trunk, where he pulled out the bags from the shopping trip, which we had abandoned. He said something to Reno, which caught his attention, before laughing and walking inside. He looked to me. "So! Reno will do what he can!"

I nodded, thanking Elena as she handed me a mug of hot chocolate. "And if he can't fix it?"

"Oh, he'll fix it all right." Axel smiled. "It's Reno. He took apart and refurbished his Nova. I know it doesn't look like much, but it still purrs like a kitten." He held up the bags. "What are we doing with these?"

"Put them on the bed," I muttered, sipping the hot chocolate delicately. "I'll sort through it a little later. Just keep it hidden from your brother."

"Right-o, Captain Bright-o!" Axel saluted, walking down the hall.

I glanced at Elena, confused. "Captain Bright-o?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. She shook her head, just as confused as I was. I shrugged, drinking the hot chocolate, smiling when Axel went back outside with Reno, asking questions about the car. Elena and I watched with mild amusement as the two brothers picked on each other, working on the car together.

XxXxXxXxX

"Well!" Reno wiped the oil off his hands with a towel as he walked into the house. It had been about three hours since he began work on the car, and judging by the look on his face, he was elated with the work thus far. "Judging by the work so far, I figure I can finish it before you guys leave."

"It'll be as good as it was before?" Axel asked, sitting upright. Him and I were on the floor, wrapping gifts for everyone back home. When Reno nodded, Axel cheered, accidentally ripping the paper for Demyx's gift. Sadly, this was the fifth wrapping job he had messed up on. "I can't wait! I owe you so much right now!"

"Why yes you do," Reno sighed, sitting on the couch beside Elena. "And I figure it'll cost you at least six thousand dollars."

"What?!" Axel yelped, falling over in shock.

I laughed and held up a small box wrapped in silver paper. "Will a gift suffice?" I asked.

Reno blinked rapidly, and his cheeks began to turn a shade of pink that clashed horribly with his hair. He held up his hands submissively. "That's really not necessary," he muttered, giggling nervously. "Really, I was joking."

"Well, I wasn't," I told him, tucking the small box back into the pile of wrapped gifts beside me. "I'd feel bad if I didn't thank you _somehow_ for your hospitality, _AND_ fixing the car on top of that."

"You'll like it, Re-re," Axel cooed, fixing the torn emerald wrapping on Demyx's gift. "It's really neat."

Elena nodded. "Roxas showed it to me. You'll like it."

Reno shifted uncomfortably. "Now I feel bad, cause I don't have anything for you…"

"Don't bother," I said. "Just letting us stay is a gift in itself. Though…" I grinned. "…If you _really_ want to give me something…make pancakes tomorrow morning, and it'll be an even trade."

The others laughed at me, but Reno nodded and mussed my hair. "You've got yourself a deal, kid." He sighed, looking to Axel. "So, what are your guys' plans?"

"We're going to head home the 27th, and we'll get home late on the 28th," Axel explained. "We'll rest a day and meet up with our friends and do a gift exchange. On the 30th, we'll head out to Roxas' home town, and spend New Year's with his family. His brother's getting married on the second, so I figure we'll be back home on the fourth." He looked to me for confirmation, at which I nodded. "Yeah, that's the plan."

Reno let out a low whistle. "You've got a busy week. No wonder you wanted the car fixed so badly." He looked at me expectantly. "Don't you have a car?"

"Wrecked it about a week and a half ago," I replied, taking the tape away from Axel, who was turning Demyx's box into an impenetrable fortress. "Haven't got a replacement yet. I take the bus to work and school, so I'm okay."

Reno nodded, looking thoughtful. "What kind of Car was it?"

"2005 Silver Dodge Neon." I sighed sadly. "It was a good car. Bought it myself. And now it's ka-put."

Axel hugged me to his chest childishly. "I'll just have to teach you how to drive my Mustang one of these days."

"No thanks," I choked, struggling under Axel's grasp. "I can't drive a stick. Cloud tried to teach me once, and that didn't go over too well."

Elena laughed. "Don't worry Roxas, I can't drive one either." She placed a hand on Reno's leg. "Dinner's on the table if you want it. After you finish, we'll start the tradition."

Reno nodded and left for the kitchen. I blinked and looked from Elena to Axel, who was giggling, than back to Elena. "Tradition? What tradition?"

"Don't worry," Axel muttered. "You know the tree in the kitchen that you said was a fire hazard? Well, ever since Reno and I were kids, we would decorate the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, and while we did it, someone would read 'The Night Before Christmas'." He shrugged. "It's just kind of something we never grew out of."

I smiled softly, and began to wonder what my family was doing. Were they, too, getting ready to decorate the Christmas tree? Was Mom going to read Marlene the story she read to me and Cloud when we were kids? I sighed. "Yeah, I get traditions." I tucked the wrapping paper in a corner before crawling into Axel's lap contently.

After a few minutes, Reno came out of the kitchen and asked for our help in getting decorations to the kitchen, which Axel and I readily helped. Elena went to make hot chocolate. We came into the kitchen with two strands of lights and seven or eight boxes of ornaments. One box held a beautiful, ornate star that was to go on top of the tree. Reno and Axel started with the lights, yelling at each other every so often when something messed up. After a bit of arguing, they got the lights up and running. Reno then turned to Elena, who handed him a mug of hot chocolate. "Well, Elena? Let's begin."

Elena nodded, pulling out an old children's book. As she did so, Axel opened a box and handed me a little red ornament with his name on it, and the year 1997. "'Twas the night before Christmas," the young woman read. "And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

"Unless it's my house," Axel interrupted beside me, where we were hanging a few ornaments. "If it's my house, Demyx is screaming about not wanting to sleep. Or he's having Christmas sex with Zexion, one of the two."

"Nice," Reno cooed from the other side of the tree.

Elena giggled, and continued. "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there."

"That reminds me," Reno hissed. "I don't have any."

"You didn't last year either," Elena told him. I was starting to detect a pattern of interruptions.

"I said I'd get some, huh?" Reno muttered. "Oh well, too late now."

The woman shook her head and continued again. "The children were tucked all snug in their beds, while dreams of sugar-plums danced in their heads…"

I drowned out Elena's reading after a few minutes, but I didn't need to hear the story to feel the warmth in the room. Even though only two people in the room were actually related, the love that intoxicated the room made it feel like family none-the-less. It was oddly comforting. After some time, Axel handed me the ornate star. I stared at him.

"This was my mother's." He explained. "It's tradition for the newest member of the family to place the star on top of the tree."

I flushed, shaking my head and trying to hand it back to him. "N-no, I couldn't. I'm not family."

"You're as good as family," Reno said, standing next to Elena. "So put it up. Elena can't read the last line until you do."

I huffed slightly. They weren't giving me much of a choice, were they? Irritated, I took the star gingerly in my hands. "Fine. Then you have to help me get it up there." That being said, Axel picked me up and held me high enough to put the star on the top of the tree. I almost feared it would topple. When it didn't, I sighed in relief.

Elena smiled. "Merry Christmas to all…"

"…and to all a good night…" Axel finished as Elena shut the book, sitting down and kissing my cheek happily. He held me to his chest firmly. "Merry Christmas, Roxas."

I smiled, nuzzling his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Axel." I glanced over at Reno and Elena, who were smiling at each other happily. I sighed. I leapt off Axel's lap, startling him. "Well," I said inconspicuously, faking a yawn. "We should head to bed, Axel. It's getting late."

Axel blinked, confused. "It's only eight…"

"It's getting late," I stressed, nodding my head to Elena and Reno, who were blinking curiously at the commotion I was causing. Axel stared at me cluelessly, looking back and forth between the couple, then me. I glared, and he suddenly seemed to get it. "Let's go to bed," I hissed, walking out of the kitchen.

"Right," Axel yelped, standing up and following after me. "Goodnight, you two!" I ran down the hall after me, catching up as I entered our room. "God sakes, Rox, didja have to by so mean about it?"

"For God sakes Axel, did you have to be so naïve?" I asked, turning to face him as he shut the door. "I wanted to give them some alone time. Obviously, your brother is a little more shy about PDA…or maybe it's Elena. Either way, I could tell they wanted a little alone time, and I figured I could at least grant _that_ Christmas wish." I sat on the bed with a sigh, sitting my chin in my hands. "I'm not tired in the slightest bit though."

"Well," Axel grunted as he flopped on the bed, bouncing me a bit. "In giving _them _some alone time, you gave _us_ some alone time, too." I raised a brow and he pulled me down on top of him, making me yelp slightly. "Do you think Reno will mind?"

"No, but I will," I hissed, smacking his shoulder. "That's rude!"

"Please, Roxas!" my red head whined. "I love you so much, and I respect your choices, but please! I just can't hold it any longer! It's been a little over a week…" He kissed my cheek, despite the fact that I gave him an annoyed "humph" in response. "Please?"

"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" I asked, sitting up and straddling over his hips. "I said no, and I mean it." I bounced a bit, making him squawk. "Just wait until we get home, okay?"

Axel groaned in irritation, but nodded. I kissed his cheek and he sighed. "I just _know_ that Demyx is going to interrupt. That's just what he does."

"Ah well," I muttered, massaging his scalp with my fingertips. "Can't help that, now can we?" Axel shook his head. "So…" I muttered, trying rather pathetically to be sly. "What did you get me for Christmas? You tell me and I'll tell you."

My rehabilitating drug addict laughed. "Awe, no. You're going to get yours a little late; I ain't telling."

"Why not?" I whined, resorting to childish behavior.

"Because it's a surprise," he cooed, leaning up and pecking me on the lips. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"How long?"

"After your brother's wedding."

I let out a valley-girl, "Awe!" And put my hands on my hips. "That's so not fair! You get yours tomorrow! Why do I have to wait so long?!"

My boyfriend smiled. "It's all part of my plan."

"Oh," I hissed. "That _plan_ of yours, huh?" I folded my arms over my chest. "I'm suddenly beginning to dislike this plan very much…"

"Only cause you don't know what it is."

"Humph." I lied on his chest. "This better be good."

"Oh, it is."

--

**A/N: Wow. 13 chapters. I'm really proud! (smiles) And, according to my complete file on my computer, this fanfic has reached a grand total of 85 pages! AMAZING! I want to thank you, the reader, for your unyielding support (Especially those of you who review EVERY chapter!!). I also want to thank my new beta reader, kelle611, for taking the (I'm sure perilous) job of beta-ing my story. I'm sure it will be/has been a lot of work. Lastly, I'd like to thank my friends, without whom I would never had continued this project.**

**I feel like I need to address something with you guys really fast—Don't ask me what's going to happen next, because I don't know!! The first chapter began as a drabble with no plot, and it has evolved into this monstrosity! Grant it, I love it, but I can't say when it will end, if ever. My summary never stated a basic plot, and I can't tell you the depth this will go into. I just hope no one gets bored with Axel's antics, and Roxas'…well, Roxas-ness. Well, that being said! (waves stuffed panther paw) See you next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Roxas, you need to wake up—it's morning!" I felt Axel's hand on my shoulder, shaking it gently. "Rooxaaas. You _really_ need to get up…" I sighed, pulling the blankets over my head, muttering a soft, "nuuuuuuu…" I heard Axel huff lightly, and I felt his weight over me. "Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas—I could do this all morning! Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-Roxas-_Roooooooooxaaaaaaaaaaas!_" The blankets flew off my head, the sun glaring into my eyes from the now open window, piercing my corneas through my eyelids. "Get up!"

I draped my arms over my eyes with an annoyed grunt. "Bastard," I hissed. "I thought I told you the first rule about dating me. Or did I forget that detail?"

"You never told me any rules," Axel muttered in confusion.

"First rule, never wake me up."

"Oh…" Axel whispered. "Yeah, I kind of broke that one. A few times, actually." He grinned sheepishly before leaning down and kissing my forehead. "Sorry, but you never told me that."

I grunted, turning my back to him in slight frustration. I knew I had forgotten _something_. "Whatever," I moaned, attempting rather feebly to pull the blankets back over my head. It wasn't a successful attempt, as Axel held them away tightly, making me whine a bit. "You're so mean to me," I whined, not even bothering to open my eyes at him as I tried to smack him. "I want to sleep some more…"

"But Roxie!" The recovering drug addict whined, ousting my whine without even trying, as he bounced the bed a bit. "It's Christmas morning! Please get up!" He leaned over me and nipped my earlobe, making me yelp. "Please?"

I smacked the top of his head, satisfied with the echoing THUD. "Do you have to be such a whiney ass about it?" Finally, I opened my eyes slowly, looking at my pleading red head, who had the wishful look of a puppy hoping to be adopted. His lower lip was sticking out in a little pout, and his hands were clasped in front of him. I sighed, rolling my eyes, and sat up. "All right," I moaned, rubbing my head. "I'm up." Axel let out a childish cheer, glomping me with all his might until I thought I was going to suffocate. "All right! I get it! You're really happy! Please let go of me!" He kissed my cheek, nuzzled my head, and released me. I sighed. "I really want to sleep more…" I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, checking the time. I groaned and lied back down: 8:30 AM. I never woke this early unless I had class. "This is asinine…" I hissed.

"No," Axel corrected. "It's Christmas." He giggled childishly, ignoring the dead-pan, "I'm-about-to-strangle-you" look I gave him. "Besides! Reno and Elena are up and making breakfast." He grinned evilly. "…Paaaaaaaancaaaaakes…."

I perked a bit. "Pancakes? Really?"

Axel nodded. "Reno promised, didn't he?"

I giggled a bit, my smile made of happy. "Pancakes! I love them so…" I tossed the blankets off my body and sat up, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. "Breakfast equals yay!"

"I see you're awake now," Axel muttered, smirking.

"Pancakes equal happy!" I half-yelled, flailing my arms a bit as I traded my pajama bottoms for a pair of black jeans. "And if you say otherwise, I will beat you!" I paused, a euphoric grin on my face and a shirt in my hand. "Pancakes…buried in raspberries and butter…" I sighed, pulling the black shirt over my bare back.

"Sounds like you're about to have an orgasm," Axel chuckled behind me.

"Because pancakes are sex in food form."

"Damn…"

I sighed, throwing my pajama pants in the drawer and grabbing my brush out of my bag. "Yeah, they're that fucking good."

"Obsessive, aren't we?"

I shrugged a bit, throwing my brush in the bag. "I love food. And if you can find something I really like, that's even better." I stared at him a bit, hands on my hips. "…Are you going to get dressed or not?"

Axel waved his hand indifferently. "Later."

I eyed him a bit—he was wearing only his flannel pants—and rolled my eyes. "You slut…" I muttered.

"What?"

"I was joking, Jesus…,"I walked to the door. "C'mon, I want food."

He crawled off the bed, scoffing. "This coming from the person, who, not even five minutes ago, was whining about being woken up."

"That was before food was involved." I opened the door and padded down the hall, Axel at my heels. I could smell the food, though it was faint. I smiled; yay for happy. I came around the corner, fighting back a laugh as I saw Elena and Reno against the countertop, snogging for the life of them. Reno had Elena pinned to the countertop. I stayed quiet; Axel was the one who scared them.

My red-head let out a loud whoop, starting the two, making them jump apart, flustered beyond all reason. "Damn, Reno! Not in the kitchen! I don't want to be eating your little swimmers!"

The twin flushed, easily matching his hair. "At least I can get any!"

Axel flushed, gritting his teeth tightly. "I can too!"

Reno brandished his pancake spatula at Axel. "Yeah, sure, whatever. But he's got you whipped!"

Axel's face got redder, if it was possible, and he took a step back. I could easily tell he had struck a nerve. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, obviously biting back a comment he knew he'd regret, and stalked off, heading back down the hallway.

Reno stuttered a bit. He went to go after his twin, but I sighed and pulled him back. "Calm down Reno." I eyed him slightly. "I'll talk to him." I could tell he was a bit uncomfortable with letting me take care of his problems, but he nodded. I sighed, and followed after my boyfriend, who had stomped down the hall and into the bathroom, slamming the door with a resounding crack. I stepped up to the door, listening as I heard Axel's voice grumbling darkly to himself. "Axel? Babe?" I knocked lightly, sitting down on my side of the door. "Axel, talk to me."

"Where the fuck does he get off talking to me like that?"

I sighed again, for possibly the sixth time in less than five minutes, rubbing my temples gingerly with my fingertips. "He didn't mean it Axel. He was only joking with you." I hit my head on the door. "Now come out here and let it go." I started when the door clicked open, and I blinked up at Axel's vivid green eyes. He seemed a bit irritated, but sighed. "Axel," I whispered. "It's Christmas. You can't be mad at Reno."

"Can and will," he huffed, crossing his arms childishly over his chest as he glanced down the hall. He caught sight of Reno, who was looking worriedly down the hall. Axel's expression faltered, and softened. His arms fell limply at his sides, and he groaned. "Okay, maybe not…" He sighed again, glancing down at me, where I blinked curiously. He leaned down, kissing my head lightly before walking over to Reno, bopping him on the head with a fist, laughing when Reno let out an indignant squawk. I smiled, feeling I had done some good. "Is breakfast ready?" Axel yelled, shoving Reno into the kitchen. "I'm starving!" He looked to me in the hallway, smiling. "What about you, Roxie?"

My smile broadened at the mention of food, and I scrambled off my spot on the floor. "I could eat a Walrus!" I yelled, half-jogging down the hall into my red head's arms, where he scooped me up and spun me around. "Feed me!" I begged, leaning back in Axel's arms to look at Reno, though upside-down. I opened my mouth to repeat myself, and Elena shoved a piece of bacon in my mouth. I sat back up, blinking at Axel, a piece of bacon half hanging out of my mouth. The other three kitchen dwellers laughed at my utterly confused look, and Axel set me down.

Reno was eyeing Axel, who was craning his neck to see if food was hiding. "You only want to eat because that means you can open gifts, right?"

Axel feigned innocence, but it was pretty obvious. That's when Elena brandished the food—pancakes, bacon and toast—on the table, where we gathered and stuffed our faces. I had a slight fight with Axel over the pancakes. ("If they fight at meals all the time, they'll never last!" Reno had said to Elena.) By the time all of us were full—and there had been a slight silverware war between the twins—not a scrap of food remained. I smiled happily, sliding off my chair and crawling into Axel's lap. "I believe my work here is done!" I said happily, letting Axel rub my belly despite how much it tickled. "Thank you very much Reno, Elena." And I meant it. Those were better than the pancakes Pence made, and he had learned for the best—his _mom_.

"Yesh," Axel agreed, hugging me to his chest. "That was excellent. Now…" I felt him grin, and I knew what was coming. "Gifts?"

Reno rolled his eyes and, rather loudly, said, "Gift whore."

"I know!" Axel whined, squeezing me a bit. "But I just can't help it!" He leaned his mouth next to my ear. "Go get Reno's present," he whispered, eyeing his brother, who was whispering something to Elena.

I nodded and scrambled off my red head's lap, padding out of the kitchen and down the hall to our room. I reached under the bed for the same silver-wrapped box I had held up the night before. I looked at the small box for a moment, smiling. I then reached for an even smaller, rectangular box. It wasn't wrapped in paper; it was a navy felt, and I just stuck a red bow on it, with a nametag tapped to it, where I had written Axel's name. I then reached a third time and grabbed a scarf I didn't get the chance to wrap, mostly because it was Elena's and she had been watching me wrap gifts. I grinned to myself. Something told me she wouldn't mind. Gifts in hand, I scrambled off the floor and returned to the kitchen to find Elena gone, and the twins in the middle of an arm wrestling match; Reno was winning. Reno slammed Axel's hand down on the table and let out a victorious whoop as Elena re-entered, a smile on her face and wrapped boxes in her hand. I sat in my chair instead of on Axel's lap, feeling a little fidgety. "Well," I began. "Where do we start?"

"Reno!" Axel yelled, pointing accusatorily at his twin. "Reno first!"

"I agree," Elena muttered, suddenly becoming shy. Reno looked flabbergasted.

"Elena, would you like to give Reno his present first?" I asked politely. Elena blushed a little, but nodded. "Then go ahead."

Nervously, Elena handed Reno a small box, about the size of her palm; it was delicately wrapped in a red paper, with a silver ribbon on top. He took the box with a smile, kissing her cheek. He managed to get the ribbon off the box without untying it, and took the paper off the box, opening it. He stared for a moment, his smile slowly deepening. He pulled the item out of the box; it was an intricate silver chain that looked like it was weaved of many chains, and there was what looked to be dog tags on it. One of them had a picture of Reno, and the other bore a picture of Elena. On the back of both was a heart etched into the metal. He sighed happily and kissed Elena tenderly, showing his gratitude. Axel let out a whoop and I smiled. They parted, and Reno whispered a word of thanks to her. Elena then looked to me. "Your turn, Roxas."

I fidgeted in my seat, playing with the bow on the box. "This is kind of from both of us…mostly because it was my idea and Axel helped." I suddenly felt like it was a bad idea, but I held out the box after Axel nodded in approval. The entire time Reno was unwrapping the box, my heart was hammering in my chest, and though it was only seconds, it felt like an eternity. Finally, he opened a brown box, and pulled out a bulky heart shaped…thing. Axel leaned over at Reno's confused look, and unfolded the object, separating it into a triad of hearts. The first and top one had a picture I had drawn of their mother; her name was engraved on the glass holding the image in. The bottom right heart held another drawing, but this one of Natsu and the baby, their names also engraved in the glass. The third and final had a sketch of Elena, and her name etched as well. "I used some old photos Axel found for the drawings," I whispered, feeling a little awkward. "Well, except for Elena's. I told what I was doing while you were working on the car…"

Reno gazed at the pictures, tracing each of them with his fingertips. Somehow, I knew he just couldn't find the words to express how he felt. Slowly, he stood up, and stood between me and Axel, pulling us both into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"It was Roxas' idea," Axel replied. "He came up with it after going to the cemetery. The four people you care/cared for most…"

I kind of shrunk back a bit, and Reno looked at me wide eyed. Slowly, he smiled, before full on embracing me. "Thank you, Roxas. You really are a good-hearted person."

"You're more than welcome, Reno," I replied, wriggling out of his grasp. "I just hope I wasn't out of line."

He shook his head as he went to sit down. He looked at me fondly, his chin in his hand. "Nah, but you nearly made me cry. You're defiantly family." He sighed, gazing back at the pictures again. "Who's next?"

"Elena," Axel yawned. As he said it, I threw the pale blue scarf at her, making her yelp. Axel also slid a palm-sized box to her, giving her really no choice. Elena fiddled with the scarf a moment, smiling a word of thanks to me, before grabbing Axel's box and opening it painfully slow. She ended up pulling out a nice set of earrings with a matching necklace; the earrings were silver with a pair of wings folded together to form a heart, and the necklace was a heart with the wings extended. She smiled at Axel. "Thank you very much," she told him, reaching around her neck to put the necklace on. "They're very pretty." She smiled. "You have good taste Axel."

Axel leaned back in his chair. "What can I say? I tried." He grinned as he tucked his hands behind his head. "You're up, Reno."

Reno nodded and merely slammed a small, unwrapped box in front of Elena. "Open it." She blinked curiously at him, and slowly opened the box. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. Slowly, her eyes widened, and her free hand covered her mouth. She looked at Reno with disbelief, and he slowly nodded. "It's the closest I can get to asking…"

Elena's eyes stared to water, and smiled. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes." She then hugged him, and he her.

I quickly took the box, curiosity getting the best of me; apparently Axel too, cause he leaned in to get a look. In the box was a simple silver ring, a small diamond perched on top. In the inner top of the box was a small note: _Elena, will you marry me?_ My eyes widened, and I looked at Axel, who was expelling a low whistle. I then smiled at Reno and Elena. "Congratulations!"

Elena smiled at me. Then she playfully hit Reno's arm. "You jerk. Make me cry in front of your brother and his boyfriend." She wiped her face and looked at Axel. "Just you and Roxas left."

"Well, Roxas is getting his later," my red head muttered with a coy smile; I scowled. "And if I remember right, Reno's gift to Roxas was pancakes…So unless you got something for him, Elena, It's my turn."

Elena pulled out a small pouch bag and tossed it to me. "I didn't know what you liked, Roxas," she muttered. "So, I did this instead."

I opened the pouch, and I had to stop myself from giggling. There was mostly chocolate in the bag, but among the abyss, I managed to find a small gold bracelet with my name engraved on it; I fished it out and lied it on the table. "Thank you Elena," I said, fighting with the bracelet to get it on and the clasp shut.

"My turn!" Axel chirped, flailing his arms childishly.

"I'm fixing your car," Reno hissed. "That in itself is a gift."

"I know," Axel whined. "And I love you for it."

Elena tossed a box to Axel. He caught it and opened in it quickly. He pulled out a nice looking watch, and I laughed. "You can finally stop asking me for the time when we're out."

"Yeah," he cooed "And the thing is, I might actually wear this…" He fiddled with it, trying rather pathetically to put the watch on. "Thanks, Elena."

I sighed, fidgeting with the rectangular box in my hand. I had bought Axel's Christmas gift a while ago, but I hadn't really thought about giving it to him. He was eyeing me, and I blushed. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer, and I just held it out. He took it quietly, flipping the box open. The room fell completely quiet as he pulled out a gold locket. On the front of the locket was an A and an R, intertwined thanks to the font. Hesitantly, he opened the locket, where I had managed to fit two pictures of us from my birthday. His eyes softened, and he smiled at me. "I'd understand," I whispered, my voice sounding loud to my own ears. "If you didn't like it." I could feel my cheeks burning, and I couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, I felt Axel's lips against mine, and I yelped in shock. He pulled away with a chuckle. "You're so cute," He muttered, pushing my hair out of my face. "Of course I like it." He kissed me quickly again. "I love it, Roxas. Thank you."

I smiled shyly, tucking my hands in my lap. "You're welcome."

Reno was chuckling, shaking his head at me. "Damn, you're more of a girl than Elena." I yelped indignantly, and Elena smacked his arm. "Ah well." He looked at Elena. "Shall we get ready for the town festivities?" Elena stood and nodded, retreating down the hall, quickly followed by Reno.

I glanced nervously at Axel as he stood up. "…do you really like it…?"

The rehabilitating drug addict blinked before smiling fondly at me. "I love it, Roxas. Almost as much as I love you."

I smiled slightly, my blush growing. "Really?"

Axel pulled me off the chair and into him in a swift movement. "Really-really." He whispered. I smiled, feeling like the luckiest person alive. He kissed my forehead before picking me up. "Now help me pick out some clothes."

"Again?" I yelped. "Aren't you an adult?"

"Well, yeah," Axel muttered with a shrug, padding down the hall. "But you seem to be the fashionable one."

I scowled, a blush rising to the surface. I wasn't exactly sure whether to take that as an insult or compliment. He set me down on the bed, and I huffed audibly. "Why do I have to pick them out? I think you look fine in everything."

He pulled a pair of jeans from the dresser and tossed them at me. "Yeah, but if you haven't noticed, I like blacks. And I'll wear them all the time." He smiled at me over his shoulder. "You can't tell me you're not sick of all of the black."

I sighed. He was right. I thought he looked better in colors anyway. Letting out a small, "humph," I scooted off the bed and walked over to the dresser. I pulled out a red, hooded shirt, with black stripes down the sleeves; I threw it at him, and his grin broadened. "There. I picked out your shirt. Now put it on before I change my mind and beat you with it." I folded my arms over my chest and paced to the window, where I looked out to see neighborhood kids building forts in the snow, getting ready for the ultimate snowball fight. To be honest, a small part of me wanted to go out there and join them. Call it a guilty pleasure, but I had the impulse to through snowballs in Axel's face and watch him get frost bite. Maybe that was the morbid fascination talking…

"Are you thinking again?"

I blinked, turning to face Axel. I hadn't exactly realized I'd drifted off into fantasyland. "Huh? What?"

My red head smiled. "I asked if you were thinking. I think so…" He pointed accusingly at me. "…because I smell bacon."

I scowled a bit, but smiled. "Nah, that was breakfast." I grabbed his hand happily. "Are you ready?" He leaned in and kissed me, pulling me against him. I sighed, our mouths opening in unison, our tongues wrestling for a moment before I giggled. "Yes then?"

"I am now," he said with a smirk. Axel grabbed my hand and led me out of the room into the living room, where Elena was tying the scarf I gave her around her neck and Reno was trying to get his coat on. "What's going on in town?" my red head asked, handing me my coat and grabbing his hoodie off the back of the couch.

"Who knows?" Reno muttered. "It changes every year. No doubt we'll be fighting with local kids in the great snowball wars, and maybe a parade." He shrugged, checking his pockets for his keys. "Those are just the for-sure things." He smirked at me. "You better be ready to defend yourself, Roxas."

I smiled, zipping up my coat and pushing my bear Paws on my feet. "Don't worry about me. I'm used to my older brother and his friends ganging up on me." I flexed imaginary muscles. "I can defend myself."

Reno snorted, opening the door slowly. "Well then, let's see." He snuck out, followed by Elena, Axel, and myself. The kids I had been watching were screaming and yelling, throwing fistfuls of snow at each other in pitiful attempts to smack each other over the head. Me being the small person I am, I snuck over to one of the snow walls one of the kids had made, made a perfect ball, and threw it at one of the kids across the way. I heard Reno laugh, and Axel yelped and ran to help the other kid out. Axel and I ended up having an all out war—which he won, because Reno cheated and hit me in the back of the head, knocking over the snow wall and leaving me in the open for Axel to pelt me in rapid succession until I played possum.

"Rox, are you still alive?" Axel scrambled over and turned me onto my back. "Roxas?"

"…" I smiled and shoved handfuls of snow in Axel's face, making him sputter. "HA! I win!" I than grabbed a handful of the powder and chucked it at Reno, hitting him in the back of the leg and making his knee buckle. "And that's for hitting me from behind!" I glanced back at Axel, who was smiling. "I win…"

"Yes, you do," he muttered, pecking my forehead affectionately. He stood up, picking me up as he did. "Hey, Reno, do you think they still have the sled contests?"

Reno blinked. "The one's where one person builds the sled, then they both slide down, but if they fall they have to start over?"

"Yeah."

Reno nodded, pointing up the street. "Yeah, up by the courthouse. C'mon." He started for the left, Elena and Axel following. We passed children playing with new toys, throwing snowballs, making snowmen and snow angels. There were snowflakes gently falling, giving the whole scene a beautiful, mystic feel. We walked up to the courthouse; there were stations with piles of pieces to a sled. The man standing there explained that one person from each team puts the sled together, and when they're done, both partners run up the hill, and sled down. If they fall off their sled, they must climb up again and try again. First team to cross the finish line wins. Reno and Axel locked eyes, and I could feel a competitive fire come between them. Axel dropped me and the twins burst into action, putting the sleds together as fast as they could. Reno let out a whoop as he finished his sled. He grabbed Elena's hand and they ran up the hill. I was sure they would win as Axel started cursing under his breath. I watched Elena and Reno try to push themselves down…only to end up falling off halfway down. I giggled a little, just as Axel grabbed my hand and we ran up.

"If we can get down in one try," I panted. "We win!"

"Reno's feet drag on the ground," Axel said. "My feet will do the same." We got to the top as Reno and Elena were trying a second time.

"I've got an idea." I sat on the front of the sled, anchoring my feet on the sled. "Get on, and hook your legs around my waist, like you're sitting Indian-style." He did as I said, and laughed as Reno and Elena came back up after another failed attempt. "Push it, and keep your feet where they are." It was a hard start, but after a few shoves, we got going. I blinked furiously, yelping a little as we gained speed. Axel's arms were wrapped around my waist. I felt my heart palpitating as was approached the finish line, cheering when we crossed over it. We were still going at a decent speed, so Axel leaned to the left, and we made a head on collision with the snow pack. I burst up from the snow pile, gasping for air and shaking snow from my hair.

Axel burst up after me, laughing and pointing at Reno and Elena, who were just joining us. "Ha! We win! In your face, Reno!"

Reno snorted. "It was rigged."

"Was not." My red head stood up and helped me up. "If it was rigged, I would have lost. You've got home-field advantage."

The twin shrugged. "I guess that wasn't good enough, though." We all started as we heard little kids shrieking happily, and music began playing.

We moved to the street, and saw a float with large red and white stripe speakers. On the white float was an almost throne-like chair, with green felt on the seat. In the chair was "Santa", as the kids screamed over and over. The idea was cute, and well worth watching the smiles on the children's faces—it kind of made me feel happy. And while I liked watching the kids, I was getting bored, and I wanted a hot chocolate. "Hey, Reno," I asked, catching his attention. "Can we get hot chocolate or something?" Reno nodded and led us over to a small café. The main floor was peppered with tables and chairs, and the smell of coffee filled our noses. Reno got a coffee, while the rest of us got hot chocolates. We went to sit down, and as we did my phone started going off in my pocket. "Hello?"

A loud cacophony of noise hit my ear. "_MERRY CHRISTMAS, ROXAS!!_"

I smiled faintly. I could hear Tifa and Yuffie giggling, and Cloud telling Kadaj to stop singing a song he'd made up for the occasion. Marlene was ranting about how much she missed me. "Merry Christmas, everyone…" I muttered.

"_We miss you Roxas!" _Marlene yelled into the phone. "_When are you coming home?" _I heard Tifa scold Marlene, and I giggled.

"I'll be there in five days, Marlene…" I said, closing my eyes slowly as I felt my throat tighten. "I promise. And then you'll get to see me."

"_Roxas, honey, we love you so much,"_ my mother told me, and I guessed I was on speaker phone. "_We'll be counting the days until your return home."_

I smiled, and I felt a few tears run down my cheeks. "Thanks mom, everyone…I love you all."

"_We'll leave you alone now,"_ Cloud muttered. "_We'll see you soon._"

"Right…I love you guys."

"_We love you too, Roxas. Merry Christmas."_

"Merry Christmas…" I hung up slowly, smiling faintly, wiping the tears from my cheeks. I hadn't exactly been expecting the call, and I didn't think it would have affected me as much as it did. I looked up shyly at the three people I was with; Elena was smiling softly, and both of the twins were blinking at me, slightly confused. "…My family…" I whispered, holding up my phone.

Axel blinked, and then smiled. "They just _love_ to make you cry, don't they?" he said, pulling me over and hugging me. He kissed my head. "We'll be seeing them soon, relax."

"I know," I muttered, shoving the tears with the back of my hand. "I just wasn't expecting that, and it made me miss them for the first time in a long time." I smiled up at Axel. "You'll like my family."

"I don't doubt it…"

XxXxXxXxX

We spent the next couple hours chatting with the townsfolk, helping kids in the snow, and, in mine and Axel's case, cuddling. When we returned to the house it was going on four o' clock, and we were getting hungry. Of course, all of us were too cold or tired(or both) to cook, so we ended up drinking hot chocolate and eating cold cut sandwiches instead, which was perfectly fine since I wanted sandwiches anyway. I was curled up next to Axel, lying on the living room floor, while Reno and Elena were on the couch as we all watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It was the first time I had watched this movie since I was a freshman in high school; god, it was great. Though, I will admit, I didn't remember a lot of the movie, so I was pretty entertained. Axel kind of dozed off with his arm over my waist, and I played with his hair a bit to wake him up when the animated bonanza was over. "Wake up, babe," I muttered. "I'm not going to drag you into the bedroom, and you'll just sleep in here. Alone."

Axel grunted, squeezing me against him. "But I want to sleep with my Roxie…" he managed to mutter passed a yawn. "I don't want to sleep by myself…"

"Then get up," I wheezed, wriggling myself free of his grasp. "Because I _refuse_ to sleep out here." After a few minutes of struggling, I managed to escape his hold with a slight _**pop**_. I then stood up and tried to pull Axel up. Elena was giggling, and Reno just sat and watched. When he wouldn't budge, I scowled and kicked him playfully in the side. "Fine then." With that, I started walking down the hall to the bedroom. After a few seconds, I heard a "humph," followed by the scrambling of feet as Axel rushed after me. "Oh," I muttered, pretending to be surprised. "You decided to join me after all?"

"Yeah," Axel muttered, sounding stand-offish. "Reno and Elena aren't very entertaining." I looked as he grinned broadly and raised his voice. "Especially when they're snogging right in front of you!"

As if on cue, I heard Reno snigger before yelling, "OH YEAH BABY! GIVE IT TO MEH!"

I rolled my eyes, walking into the bedroom and shutting the door after Axel. "Was that really necessary?" I asked, turning to him as he lied on the bed. "I'm sure you just flustered the hell out of Elena." I crawled onto the bed beside my boyfriend, sighing. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Axel looked thoughtful for a moment, before holding up a finger in a sort of "ah ha" gesture. "Save a plant, eat a vegetarian." He grinned as I gave him a point blank stare. "I don't feel guilty at all."

"I do," I muttered. "And I didn't even do anything."

"Eh, Elena's a strong girl." He hugged me to his chest. "She'll be fine. If she's going to be marrying Reno, she's got to be used to the bull shit I put her through."

I raised a brow in interest. "You going to make it hell?"

"Better believe it," he said which a Cheshire cat-like grin. He sighed happily, burying his face in my hair. "You smell good."

"I always smell good," I replied, my vanity becoming fully exposed. "What else is new?"

He shrugged. "That's my Roxie," he cooed with pride, yawning slightly.

"Are you really that tired?"

Axel hummed softly. "A bit. I think I got up too early this morning, and we were running around all day…"

"Still," I mussed. "Normally, I'm the tired one, and you're so full of pent up energy you could wear out a child."

My red head grinned happily. "Very true. So very, very true." He then snuggled me a bit. "But I like lying here better than anything else right now."

I smiled a bit. "Oh?"

"Yeah." He kissed my head gently. "You make things so peaceful…"

I blinked furiously. That was a new one to me; I was usually the one ranting about one thing or another and pissing everybody off. Then again… "I guess we kind of bring out the best part of each other," I muttered mostly to myself, though I know Axel was paying attention. "I'm more concerned and affectionate around you…"

"And I'm a complete and utter sap around you."

I giggled a bit. "Sappy's okay though. I think it's cute."

Axel smiled and kissed me briefly. "And I think you're cute…"

I smiled. This had to be the best Christmas _**ever.**_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I woke up on the 26th, still in the clothes I wore on Christmas day, to the sound of an engine running. I was slightly pissed off, because I had been having the best, most erotic dream of all time, and it had been interrupted just when it was getting to the climactic high. _Damn it._ Then, my pissy-ness kind of ebbed away when I saw that it was almost one in the afternoon. I smiled; I could tell this was going to be a good day. I rolled out of the bed, which was Axel-less, and changed into lounge pants and pale violet, long sleeved polo. I didn't match, but I didn't figure we were going anywhere, so I didn't really care. I didn't even bother brushing my hair and just left the room. Elena was sitting on the couch, looking outside at Reno who had just slammed the hood of Axel's Mustang closed, and Axel, who was glomping his twin with utmost delight at the fact that his mustang was fixed. I collapsed on the couch with Elena, yawning.

Elena smiled at me, giggling a bit. "Well, you finally decided to get up?"

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder at the car. "That thing woke me up. If I had my way, I'd still be asleep."

"You like to sleep, don't you?"

I grinned broadly, giving Elena two thumbs up. "Better believe it."

Suddenly, the front door burst open and Axel pounced on me, grinning from ear-to-ear. "ROXEH! It's fixed! It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed- It's-fixed-IT'S FIXED!" He nuzzled my face for a minute. Then he looked at me as I glared daggers at him. A bead of sweat slipped down his face. "Reno fixed the car."

"I noticed," I hissed. "It kind of woke me up…"

Axel paled a bit. "…Sorry."

"Whatever." I stood up, stretching. "We need to make sure we have everything."

Axel blinked. "We're not leaving until tomorrow."

"I know, but I want an early start tomorrow," I explained. "I don't want to be looking around for stuff last minute when we're trying to leave."

Axel looked thoughtful. "…huh. I didn't think about that."

"Besides," Reno interrupted. "It's not like we're doing anything today. We're just going to sit back and relax today." As he spoke, he sat beside Elena. "Get your stuff together in advance so I can get rid of you sooner."

"Love you too," Axel hissed, sticking his tongue out at his twin. He then followed me down to the bedroom. "Roxas, do you really think it's going to be difficult to gather our stuff up?"

I stared at him for a moment. "Axel, our things are sprawled all over this house. If we leave anything, we're not getting it back. And I _refuse_ to forget anything I own." I sat on the bed. "We need to pack up our clothes except what we're going to wear on the trip home, find all our random things we brought like cell phone chargers and my flatiron, and make sure we have enough room in our bags for the presents home." Axel mouthed a small, "oh," and I nodded. "A bit harder than you thought, right?"

"Yeah…" Axel sighed. "I can tell you've done a lot of traveling."

"No," I muttered, going over to the dresser and pulling out some of my shirts. "I just use common sense." I looked over at him as I refolded a few shirts. "What time do we plan on leaving?"

Axel shrugged, pulling his shirts from the dresser. "At first, I was just thinking whenever we were ready…But you want an early start, so…" he dropped his shirts in his bag, thinking. "…Six or Seven maybe?"

"Sounds good to me." I stared at his bag, where there was a pile of shirts. "…Do you never fold anything?"

"What does it matter?" Axel asked, getting slightly defensive.

"It's a waste of space!" And that's how the afternoon went. Between running around the house looking for items that had mysteriously gone missing, and having miniature arguments about how to pack, it took us the whole afternoon to get everything together and packed, including the items we had bought for everyone else. By the time everything was done, it was almost five. I wiped the sweat from my brow, looking at the two packed bags with pride. "Well, I seriously doubt we forgot _anything_." I looked at Axel, who was still irritated at me for yelling about the way he packed. "And if you forget something, I'm going to laugh at you."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't," Axel hissed. "After all, you're the packing Nazi."

I glared, a vein pulsing in my forehead. "You know what, fine." I grabbed his bag, unzipped it, and emptied its contents all over the floor and tossed the bag aside. Axel stared at me, open mouthed. "You want to pack your bag in a wasteful manner, fine. But when you forget something important, I don't want to hear you complain!" Finished with my tirade, I stomped out of the room, leaving Axel to clean up my destruction. He didn't come out for dinner, even though Reno asked him to. We left his plate alone, served and getting cold, as we finished our dinner. I helped Elena with dishes, and as I stared at Axel's plate, I felt a bit guilty. I sighed; maybe I'd gone a bit too far. That was my short fuse for you. Once I was done with the dishes, I stuck Axel's plate in the microwave, trying to warm it up again for him. Once it was done, I took it out and padded down the hall with it. Axel was sitting in the middle of the room, bag wide open, and half full of neatly folded clothes. There was still quite a bit there, but not enough for me to not want to help. I sighed, catching his attention. He glared a bit before I held up his plate of food. "I'm sorry," I said simply. I handed him the plate and sat on my knees. "I'll clean it up."

"Nuh-uh," Axel protested around a mouthful of fried Chicken. "You wanted me to pack, and I'll pack."

I groaned, detecting another argument. "Axel…" I sighed, folding a pair of jeans. "It's my fault. I got pissed off and…I'm sorry, okay? I don't want to argue again over the stupid packing…" He just sat quietly, stuffing his face with food. "I was just raised to make things nice and neat when you pack, because then you have more space, so I just got irritated at the way you did it…"

"And than I called you a packing Nazi," Axel muttered past a pile of Pasta.

I glared at him. "Yeah, that was a bit much."

"And so, I'm sorry too!" Axel sighed, biting off a chunk of bread. "You're so anal about the stupidest things…"

I dropped his pants, hands flying to my hips. "Am I?" I asked, shocked. "I thought I was being logical!" I stood up. "fine then! If I'm being so anal—"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back down, our faces inches apart. "Don't walk away from me," he said, his voice a tone I couldn't really describe but, oddly, liked. "I love you, Roxas, and love takes work. This is just one of the things we're going to have to work on if we're going to make this work. After all, it's only been a little over three weeks…" He smiled, pecking my cheek. "That's love for you."

I smiled softly. "I can't help but thank you for your patience." I kissed his cheek in return.

Axel snorted. "Sometimes, I wonder how I do it."

"At least you haven't had to deal with me all my life!"

Axel twitched a bit. "…you've always been this stubborn?"

"Better believe it." I grinned proudly. I looked at the pile. "…Want my help?"

"Yeah." He shoved the pile to me with his feet. "You do it."

I smiled. "Alright," I sighed, folding a shirt with relative ease. He smiled, tearing off a piece of chicken with his teeth. "Are you ready to go home?"

"_BEYOND_ ready…" Axel leaned back against the bed frame. "I mean, I love Reno, and love to see him after so long, but…" He shook his head. "I guess they're right when they say there's no place like home."

I giggled a bit. "Too true." I looked evenly at his emerald orbs. "You going to drive?"

"I'll drive tomorrow, you'll drive the next day."

I nodded. "And I'll drive to and from my brother's house."

He pulled me forward, capturing my mouth in his. "Deal."

XxXxXxXxX

The next morning started around six o clock with a small argument, deciding whether or not to say good-bye to Reno and Elena, which woke them up, so we ended up saying good-bye anyway. We got out of the town pretty quickly, and I will admit, I dozed off until around eleven, when Axel started listening to Disturbed at full blast. He admitted he felt bad for waking me, but I didn't mind so much, to be honest. I switched out his Disturbed CD (Which irritated him a bit) for the soundtrack to RENT. At first, he was pissed off over it, but he ended up dancing in his seat with me while driving. We stopped at a hotel (it was a cheapy and made me a bit nervous), and I picked up where we left off the next morning. We got home around two in the afternoon on the twenty-eighth, where we raced up the stairs to the apartment, only to find Demyx and Zexion sitting in front of our door.

Demyx squealed loudly and pounced on Axel faster than a pack of dogs on a three-legged cat. "OMIGAWD! You're back! I missed you Axel!"

Axel fell to the floor in a mass of Demyx and baggage with a loud "UWAH!" I rolled my eyes and opened the door, nodding to Zexion as he acknowledged me. I dropped my bag in the hallway before coming out with a box to save Axel. "Demyx, look." I held the box up as Demyx looked over. "Want it? Then release the red head."

Demyx bounded over, clutching his hands in front of himself childishly. "What is it, Roxas?" he took it, giggling. "Can I open it?"

"Yes," I sighed, "but you have to open it in your apartment, and talk to us later, okay? We're really tired, and we want to get some rest." I gave him a pleading look. "We'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

Demyx pouted a bit, but nodded. He grabbed Zexion's hand, pulling him into his apartment, yelling, "C'mon Zexi! Let's see what Roxas and Axel got me for Christmas!"

The door snapped shut, and I giggled a bit as Axel passed me with his bag, muttering a soft, "Thanks."

I followed Axel in, shutting the door behind me. Axel dropped his bag next to mine, then turned to look at me. "Tell you what; he can wear you out like a little kid on sugar."

I giggled a bit. "I could tell…" I leaned against the door, tucking my hands behind my back. "Now, remind me…" He blinked and I tapped my chin. "…didn't I promise you something?"

Axel blinked for a moment, but then he grinned. "Why, yes, you did." He strolled over, pinning me between himself and the door. "What are you planning, Roxie?"

I smiled and ducked under his arm. I held up a finger. "Follow me in two minutes…okay?"

"Two minutes?!"

"Promise?" Axel scowled a bit, but nodded. With that, I smirked and darted for the bathroom. I slammed the door shut, and turned the bathtub on, warm water gushing out of the faucet. While the tub filled, I tore my shirt off over my head before slipping my pants off. I played with the water for a minute before dropping into the tub, submerging myself into the abyss of water. My head broke the surface of the water as I gasped for air, my hair clinging to my face. I shoved my hair messily out of my face, only to see Axel standing in the doorway, smirking quirkily. Slowly, a smile cut across my face, and I felt heat run up my cheeks. "So?" I muttered, splashing the water childishly as I curled a bit in the tub. "Care to join me?"

He chuckled a bit, closing the door behind him as he pulled his hoodie off. He paced over, mussing my dripping hair. "Is this what you've been planning?"

"Not exactly," I admitted as he pulled off his pants. "I'm kind of making this up as I go."

"Sexy," Axel growled, sliding into the tub with me, his legs hooking around my waist, pulling me into him, the water sloshing around us. "Impromptu much?"

"As always." I cupped water in my hands, dropping it over Axel's head, satisfied when it dripped down his face. I smiled, giggling a bit. My chest brushed against his, smearing a thin layer of water over his vaguely defined muscles; I was half lying in the tub, my upper body braced on Axel's, looking up at him like a school child. "Are you ready?"

Axel smirked. "I don't think I'll ever be ready to be topped," he admitted, "but I think I can handle it."

I smiled, my knees hooking around his, forcing them apart in the confined space of the tub; the liquid spilled over the side of the porcelain reservoir, hitting the linoleum and spreading over the floor. My slick hands slipped up Axel's chest, massaging his pecks gently, making him hum melodically as his jade eyes closed slowly. I smiled, my mouth latching on the crook of his neck, making him sigh, as my hand dropped under the shimmering surface, caressing Axel's abs with his feather-light finger tips. Axel's breath hitched, my teeth grazing his skin as I dragged my mouth to his shoulder, nipping none-to-gently. I heard him hiss in slight pain, but I wasn't fazed by it. My hand floated down, my fingers caressing their prize before slowly grasping it. Axel's eyes snapped open, and his back arched a bit on the side of the tub, a quiet groan slipping passed his lips. "Roxas…" he whispered, biting his lip, his hands clutching the sides of the tub with such ferocity that his knuckles turned white. My thumb stroked him gently, and I licked his shoulder, smiling faintly as I heard his breathing quicken with each caress, my name coming in short bursts. I peppered feather-light kisses along his clavicles, making him whisper quietly.

"It's funny," I muttered, my lips never leaving his flesh. "I never thought I'd see you like this…"

"Like…what?" he panted, opening one eye to look at me, biting his lip as my movement increased a bit.

"All…weak. And pitiful…" I smiled, capturing his mouth in mine, moaning slightly when he forced his tongue passed my lips. His hands grabbed my arms, pulling them behind me and flipping quickly, making the water overflow. He pinned my hands against the bathroom wall, attacking my collarbone with his ivory incisors. I yelped and he cackled a bit. "Wasn't expecting that," I admitted, my mouth hanging open a bit as I tried to calm my quickly palpitating heart.

"My turn…" he hissed, his growing member brushing against mine, making me groan, arching into him. "Think you can take it?"

"Doubt it…" I hissed, struggling to wrench my hands out of his grip and failing miserably. I wriggled a bit, pulling both of us under the dark surface of the water, and when we came back up, he jerked violently, ramming himself into me, water sloshing all over the floor and walls. I let out a yell, not exactly expecting that. He shifted his hold on me, grasping my waist and holding me against him as he began to work his hips. Red sparks danced across my vision with each thrust, sending a pleasurable buzz to attack my head. My hands clutched his biceps, my nearly non-existent nails digging into his skin. "Please…" I begged, my voice shaking a bit. "Please…don't stop…harder. Faster…" He obliged, and I could tell he was smirking by the small, "humph" I heard. A burning sensation shot up my spine with each plunge, making my voice come out in a feminine squeak. I couldn't see anything passed the dark spots that invaded my vision, making it hard to keep balance—"OW!" I curled slightly, my arms ripping from Axel's hold to the back on my head, where I had heard a resounding crack. Axel's eyes were wide, and he was instantly coddling me, hugging me to his chest. "What the fuck?!" I yelled.

"I'm so sorry, Roxas!" Axel quipped, kissing the top of my head tenderly. "I so didn't mean for that to happen!"

I turned slightly to look at the bathroom wall; there was a small indentation where my head had collided with the stucco, accompanied by a small spatter of blood. We both winced at the sight before looking nervously at each other. I giggled timidly, looking up at Axel. "…Oops…figures…right…?"

Axel sighed, dislodging himself and standing, picking me up with him. "C'mon, you might have a concussion. Let's get you treated."

I nodded, and sighed. Somehow, I had known this would happen. He set me down, my feet taping the ground gently, and I wrapped a towel around my waist, and I glanced down, giggling nervously. "I need to mop…"

Axel chuckled, turning off the water we had forgotten about, which was overflowing, and took another towel around his waist. "We're messy, aren't we?"

"I didn't think about that fact when I decided to use the bathtub." I grinned, rubbing the back of my head, wincing slightly. "Or this…"

Axel chuckled again, opening the bathroom door. "I'll unpack, you clean this up."

"Yes, daddy," I hissed, rolling my eyes as I weaved passed him to the kitchen to grab the mop. He raised his brows at me, but said nothing, grabbing our bags from the hallway and dragging them to the bedroom. "Yeah, you better not make a comment," I whispered to myself with a grin.

XxXxXxXxX

"Do you think you're going to have to pay water damage?" Axel asked passed a mouthful of a Jack in the Box sourdough burger. "Or did you clean that up soon enough that it would ruin the floor?"

"I _might_ be safe," I muttered, emphasizing the might. I took another bite of seasoned curly fries. "But we got to fix and re-paint the wall, or I _defiantly_ will never get my deposit back."

Axel nodded, leaning back in his seat. He was sitting in his chair in nothing but his red briefs, "Got it memorized?" embroidered on the back. I was slightly embarrassed by this, seeing as I actually had pants on, but I really didn't mind. "So," he began, tearing into his burger again, "What are your plans tomorrow?"

I held my hand in front of my mouth, covering it as I finished my bite of food and began talking. "Well, I have an idea, and I wanted to see what you thought. Want to hear it?" He nodded, his arm slinging over the back of his chair. "I was thinking of calling everyone over and hanging out all day. Gift exchanging, yatta-yatta-yatta. You know?"

"Here?" Axel asked to confirm, his hands waving around the apartment. "Can we fit everyone in here?"

"You'd be surprised…" I muttered. "I somehow managed to fit my whole family in this small apartment, and that's a lot of people."

Axel shrugged. "If that's what you want to do, okay." He stood up, stretching a bit as his back popped. "Well, you can either call people up now, or in the morning, but I'm going to bed."

"Already?"

"Yeah," he yawned. "I'm gonna crash, especially if I'm going to have the energy to hang out with Demyx tomorrow." He kissed my head gently before padding down the hall to the bedroom.

I smiled after him before whipping out my cell phone, and jotting out all the names I could think of for people to come over, before slowly calling each one of them.

Axel slept until around eleven, while I spent my morning cooking sweets and other food. I'm guessing that it was me cooking the ham that woke him up. He came out in a daze, smiling as he collapsed in the chair, still just in his briefs. I glared playfully. "Axel, sweetie, guests are going to arrive any minute."

He blinked furiously. "Seriously?" I nodded and he ran back into the bedroom to get dressed. I giggled a bit, pushing my red and black striped sleeves for the bazillionth time in less than five minutes. Axel came out a few minutes later, wearing Black jeans, and a matching jacket with black and white checker patterns along the middle. He was slipping on fingerless ebony gloves over his hands as there was a gentle rapping on the door. "Wow," he muttered. "You were right, love." He opened the door, greeted by a loud cheer, consisting of Olette, Pence, Demyx, Zexion, and Marluxia. He waved them in, praising them a bit.

"Punctual much?" I asked, washing my hands quickly before walking over to greet them, hugging Olette tightly.

"Blame my mom," she said simply. "Who else is coming?"

I did a quick head count. "We're waiting for nine more people."

"Jesus Christ, Roxas!" Pence yelped, sitting on the couch next to Axel. "Are we all going to fit here?"

"You'd be surprised," I hissed. "Remember last Christmas? My mom, my dad, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Marlene, Barret, Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, you, Olette, Hayner, and myself? Same number, Pence."

"Damn…"

I nodded, than smiled at Marluxia. "How are you doing, Mar?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. How was your trip?"

"Interesting," I admitted, returning to the kitchen, where Marluxia followed me. "Reno's a fascinating individual, may I just say."

"Well, yes, he is," the pink tressed man admitted, slipping a pair of gloves on to help me with the food. "But after all, he _is_ Axel's twin, so it shouldn't have surprised you."

"Very true, but I didn't even know he _had_ a twin until we got there."

The older man laughed. "That's just like Axel…" He smiled at me. "I'll take care of the food," he said. "You go socialize."

"Are you sure?" I asked as there was another knock on the door.

"Positive."

I felt kind of bad leaving Marluxia in my kitchen, but he seemed intent on making me converse with everyone, so I left the kitchen just as Axel was letting Kairi, Naminé, and Larxene in the apartment. Larxene was holding up a bag of what the rest of use guessed to be beer and wine coolers in one hand, and boxes in the other. Kairi and Naminé were dressed in little Santa outfits, and kissed my cheeks as Olette took a picture. Axel was yelling about getting a copy of the picture when there was another knock, which was Saïx, Luxord, and Xigbar. Before Axel closed the door, Riku and Sora ran up, brandishing boxes in their hands. Axel laughed, re opening the door for them. I sighed, counting every one again. "One last person," I whispered. "I wonder…"

"Hey, Roxas!" Larxene was lying on the floor, her hands in the air. "You got any food around here?!"

I giggled a bit. "Yeah, but are you privileged enough to eat it?"

"OH! Burned!" Axel yelled.

I shook my head, ducking into the kitchen to snatch a plate of hors d'oeuvres off the counter. I dropped the platter on the living room table, laughing as Larxene lunged for it. Time went by rather slowly as I listened for the door, watching everyone laughing and chatting animatedly. After an hour, I sighed and got up to go to the bathroom before we started our grand exchange. While I was in there, I heard a knock, and my heart leapt to my throat. There was a loud cry as I heard the door click open, and I opened the bathroom door quickly.

Axel, Demyx, Sora, Pence and Kairi were standing angrily around the door, all of them yelling at once, and in the middle of them was Hayner. On the inside, I smiled, because he had actually accepted my invitation, though he hadn't answered my call. "What the fuck did I tell you?!" Demyx yelled, his eyes a dark emerald as he stepped up to Hayner, hands on his hips and looking bigger than he really was. "I warned you! Five feet and I kill you, remember?!"

I stepped up briskly, laying my hands on Axel's and Demyx's arms. "Guys, it's okay! I called him up!" I smiled vaguely at Hayner, who shyly smiled back.

Axel growled a bit before yanking my hand and dragging me to the bedroom, where he slammed the door and whipped around to look at me. "You invited that mother fucker over?!"

"He's still my friend," I whispered.

"He's hurt you, and tried to rape you—or have you forgotten?!"

"I told him if he didn't want to come, he didn't have to."

"Why even invite him?!"

I stood on my tip toes, getting up in Axel's face. "Because I actually allow myself to forgive people! Because that's what friends do! And if you've got a problem with that, you can just walk away! Right here and now!"

Axel clenched his jaw tightly, huffing slightly. "…Fine…I'll play nice…"

"That's all I ask…" With that, I stomped out of the room, making a b-line for Hayner, who seemed to shrink back from me for a moment. I smiled faintly, and he relaxed. "How you been, Hayner?" I asked. "I haven't seen you for a little over two weeks…"

Hayner sighed, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he glanced around the room at the people who were glaring at him. "I guess I've been alright…" He swallowed hard, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "…can we talk outside for a minute?"

"Of course…" I followed him out, ignoring the indignant stares from my angry friends. I shut the door behind me. "What is it, Hayner?"

"I'm not going to stay," he told me, running a hand through his hair. "I don't deserve your forgiveness for what I did."

"Hayner, it's fine."

"No, it's not…" He sighed. "I've been trying to get the guts to come and tell you…" He sighed, sitting numbly on the hallway wall. "There's a reason Kairi dumped me."

"She told me it was because you were being overly clingy," I said, sitting beside him, folding his knees to my chest.

He laughed a bit. "Yeah…That's true…but she didn't know why…" He sighed. "After I broke up with you, I was starting to get serious with her…and she told me she wouldn't sleep with unless I got tested." He held himself tightly. "…I did, and…the results scared me, and I…I got scared for you. But I couldn't find the words to tell you…but…"

My eyes widened as I looked at him. "…Hayner…what do you have…and how long have you had it…?"

"…I have AIDS." He swallowed hard. "…I don't know how long I've had it, but…I'm pretty sure I didn't give it to you. You might want to get tested though…"

I nodded slowly, staring blankly at the wall. So, Hayner had AIDS. But…did I? I wasn't sure if I wanted to know, but for Axel's sake, I needed to know. But it was such short notice…

"If you want to get tested now," the blond sighed, holding out a business card. "This place is always open. They'll test you for free, and won't share the results with anyone unless you want them to." He stood up. "I feel bad telling you this _now_, but if I didn't do it now…I probably never would." He looked down at me, apology caking his auburn orbs. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I wish I had known sooner." He pulled me up and into a hug. Slowly, he released me and turned on his heel, pacing down the hall to the elevator.

I watched him until he was out of sight and out of earshot. Silence echoed around me, and I sighed, ears burning the backs of my eyes. Slowly, I opened the door, and retreated to my bedroom, not even bothering to look anyone in the eye. I sat on my bed, curling my knees to my chest. Tears slid down my face, mostly in concern.

I barely flinched as Axel walked in, his brow furrowed in concern. "You okay?" His eyes and voice were absolutely filled with worry. "You're shaking and crying…What'd he say?" I shook my head, tucking my head in my arms, but Axel pulled my face up to look him in the eye. "Tell me."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because it shouldn't matter! Let go!"

"Why won't you-?!"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE HURTING ME!!" I yelled right in his face that time. My face was only inches from Axel's, tears beginning to leave furious footprints down my cheeks. As Axel's grip faltered, I pulled my chin away. "If you would stop and actually listen to me, you would actually get that I don't want to talk about it!"

He stared at me for a moment, but said nothing. He then wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into him. "Well, whatever is wrong," he muttered. "I'll stand by you and help you how I can." He kissed my head. "I love you, Roxas. No matter what." He wiped my face. "Let's go out with everyone, okay? It'll make you feel much better than sitting in here alone."

I nodded reluctantly, following him out into the room of people. They were all chatting animatedly, and had to use all their will power not to stare at me. I stayed with Axel arm wrapped about me as much as I could, even though it made it hard for him to eat. I didn't really take part in any of the conversation, thinking mostly on what to do. And I knew this decision was going to effect a lot of things.

XxXxXxXxX

I spent the entire night thinking over that to do, and when morning came, I left a note for Axel, asking him to pack, while I took the bus to the center Hayner had given me the business card for. It was called Sacred Heart, and was about a mile away from the apartment. I sat on the bus, my heart palpitating like a rabbit caught in a trap. Never in my life did I think I'd find myself in such a situation. Then again, I hadn't planned for half the things that had happened in the last month. The bus came to a halt in front of a blue building with a giant red heart on the doors. I held my breath as I walked up, pushing the door hesitantly.

Two girls were standing at a table, dressed in little nurse outfits, giggling. One was short and blond, with hair barely passed her shoulders. The other was a little taller, with feathered brunette tresses passed her shoulders. They both glanced at me as I walked in and smiled. "Welcome to Sacred Heart," the blond said, folding her hands in front of her. "I'm Shadow, and this is Kaitlyn."

The Brunette, Kaitlyn, smiled and walked over to me, holding out her hand. "How shall we help you…?"

"I'm Roxas," I muttered, a little embarrassed at being here. "My friend told me to come here…"

"Do you want to be tested?" Shadow asked, taking my other hand and both girls leading me into a room with a slightly reclined chair.

"Yes."

"What are we looking for in particular?" Kaitlyn asked, sitting me down as Shadow turned to get some vials.

"Everything," I blurted. "But…especially…AIDS…"

Both girls nodded, and Shadow tied a rubber thing on the upper part of my left arm, tapping the vein lightly. "Don't be embarrassed, Roxas," she said. "You're not the only person who comes in here. We get a lot of people coming in here."

Kaitlyn nodded, shifting the chair so I was reclined a bit. "I'm sure everything will be fine." She stuck the needle in my arm, filling eight vials of the crimson liquid.

"Can you give us a number we can reach you by?" Shadow asked, writing my name on a patient book. "So we can read you the results?"

"Yeah," I muttered. I recited my cell phone number, sighing happily as Kaitlyn pulled the needle out and taped a cotton ball to the wound.

"We'll give you a call," the brunette told me. "Then we'll get your address and send a printed record of the results."

"Do you have a ride home?" Shadow asked, genuinely concerned.

"I took the bus."

"Alright." The blond smiled tenderly at me. "Please be safe." I nodded, and turned to leave—a part of me swore I saw Shadow peck Kaitlyn on the cheek, but I was too concerned with getting home to think about it.

I caught the bus going home, and came back to the apartment to find Axel lounging on the couch, our bags packed at his feet. He grinned broadly. "You wanted me to pack, and I packed." He held his arms out. "Want to inspect it?"

"Nah…" I came over and kissed his cheek. "I trust you." I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. "You ready to go?"

"Ready when you are."

I smiled. "Then let's go! I'm anxious!"


End file.
